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Night Moves (1975)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 9/14

kNM
9/14: If there's anything that's noticeable about Night Moves, it's the Peckinpah-stylized editing which keeps a brisk pace although the scenes are disjointedly put together at times.

Sure, it's easy to be intrigued by whatever is transpiring. And then, approximately one hour into the film, the lack of substance has become apparent because the story, if there's any at all, seems to go nowhere.

Actually, too much time has been spent on Harry's marital problems, and for a while, I wasn't able to see the dots connecting. The last twenty minutes is when all finally got their shit together by getting down to brass tacks and proceeded to solve the mystery (I didn't know there was one anyway).

The ending is absurd which killed the film for good by leaving me with this thought, "Oh, okay...so, that's that" before the lights are turned on. How the characters go from one part to another so quickly is perplexing. I wish the direction was more clear early on by letting me know whether the film intended to be a character study or a detective mystery story instead of mixing them together.

Anyway, everybody has done a good job, especially when it comes to chemistry, and their conversations have been enjoyable, even if the feel is akin to a ping pong game. Aside from Gene Hackman, there are three stars who make their presence known: the very young James Woods, 17-year-old Melanie Griffith in her debut role, and Harris Yulin.

All in all, Night Moves resembles a bowl of soup that's full of water and barely any meat.