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As I meditated on Gene Hackman's career after his tragic death last month, the word "effortless" is one of the first ones that came to mind. It doesn't matter if he was playing a small-town basketball coach, a scenery-chewing super-villain, an arrogant sheriff, or an obsessed investigator, he would take any role and elevate it in the most unassuming way, as if it was all too easy.
Night Moves is one of those where he plays an obsessed investigator. While struggling with personal issues at home, Harry Moseby is hired to find the runaway daughter of a washed-down actress. However, after tracking her down to Florida, he realizes there might be more to it than just an angsty teenager.
This might not be Hackman's most popular film playing an investigator, but it's still one that often comes up on that "second tier" when talking about his career or talking about neo-noir. I still don't know why I waited so long to check it out, but I'm so glad I finally did. Hackman is, as usual, effortless and unassuming and just so good at it. His Harry feels not like a construct, but like a real person.
Hackman is joined by a pretty solid cast that includes James Woods, Harris Yulin, and a teenage Melanie Griffith on her first acting role. The mystery is intriguing, but it's ultimately irrelevant. The key is how our characters, primarily Harry, react to the things that are happening around him, regardless of whether it's a missing person's case, a matter of a trust fund fraud, or the contraband of valuable Mexican artifacts.
At one point, early on the film, Harry is aimlessly watching a basketball game after finding out about her wife's infidelity. As she walks in, she asks the above question. His effortless answer, uttered in the most Hackman way, can be transposed to what happens afterwards; cause even when Harry felt like he was winning, he was just losing slower than the others.
Grade:
NIGHT MOVES
(1975, Penn)
(1975, Penn)
"Who's winning?"
"Nobody. One side is just losing slower than the other."
"Nobody. One side is just losing slower than the other."
As I meditated on Gene Hackman's career after his tragic death last month, the word "effortless" is one of the first ones that came to mind. It doesn't matter if he was playing a small-town basketball coach, a scenery-chewing super-villain, an arrogant sheriff, or an obsessed investigator, he would take any role and elevate it in the most unassuming way, as if it was all too easy.
Night Moves is one of those where he plays an obsessed investigator. While struggling with personal issues at home, Harry Moseby is hired to find the runaway daughter of a washed-down actress. However, after tracking her down to Florida, he realizes there might be more to it than just an angsty teenager.
This might not be Hackman's most popular film playing an investigator, but it's still one that often comes up on that "second tier" when talking about his career or talking about neo-noir. I still don't know why I waited so long to check it out, but I'm so glad I finally did. Hackman is, as usual, effortless and unassuming and just so good at it. His Harry feels not like a construct, but like a real person.
Hackman is joined by a pretty solid cast that includes James Woods, Harris Yulin, and a teenage Melanie Griffith on her first acting role. The mystery is intriguing, but it's ultimately irrelevant. The key is how our characters, primarily Harry, react to the things that are happening around him, regardless of whether it's a missing person's case, a matter of a trust fund fraud, or the contraband of valuable Mexican artifacts.
At one point, early on the film, Harry is aimlessly watching a basketball game after finding out about her wife's infidelity. As she walks in, she asks the above question. His effortless answer, uttered in the most Hackman way, can be transposed to what happens afterwards; cause even when Harry felt like he was winning, he was just losing slower than the others.
Grade: