The New Hollywood movement (or “period”, depending on who you ask) was a defining moment in cinema where the film director was the “end-all/be-all” authority rather than the film studio. It’s a movement (generally from the mid-‘60s to early ‘80s) which gave autonomy to brilliant auteurs such as Martin Scorsese (After Hours), Francis Ford Coppola (The Outsiders), and Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon). A defining film of the movement, Arthur Penn’s groundbreaking 1967 classic Bonnie and Clyde, set the standard for the daring innovation for films that would come from this period. Fast forward almost a decade later to 1975 and Arthur Penn would reunite with Bonnie and Clyde co-star Gene Hackman for the unusual, character-driven neo-noir Night Moves. Starring Hackman (a legend we recently lost in 2025) in one of his most layered character performances, Night Moves follows ex-football player-turned-private eye Harry Moseby as he is hired by a fading actress (Janet Ward) to find her missing teenage daughter (a young Melanie Griffith). While digging in deep on the case, as well as navigating marital issues with his wife (Susan Clark), Harry discovers a sinister conspiracy at play that also drives him to look within the depths of his own soul. The film’s peculiar title, a play on words alluding to a scene where Harry explains a knight move on the chessboard, is only one of the factors that makes this film such an unusual and unforgettable watch. Challenging genres and defying categorization, Alan Sharp’s (Rob Roy) script traces the story from a private eye tale to a character drama about identity crisis to a disturbing family drama to a heart-pounding thriller in its unforgettable climax.
Gene Hackman as Harry Moseby in NIGHT MOVES. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Night Moves has many things going for it as a neo-noir thriller worthy of a Criterion release. It has a great central performance from Hackman, a dark and dry sense of humor, and weighty themes of morality and identity. The role of Harry Moseby is a Gene Hackman role that should definitely be mentioned when discussing the actor’s best work. The character alone is a private eye who’s not just in over his head, he’s in over his profession. With typical neo-noirs, the private eye is mostly competent, a bit bumbling, a bit nearsighted with the mission, but always competent. Moseby is professional and tries his best to be competent, but he can almost never see what’s in front of him. Case in point, when he discovers his wife Ellen is cheating on him, it’s a surprise to him, a cruel irony for a man whose profession is to find out who’s the mark and who’s the perpetrator. It feels Moseby is living a lie, modeling his profession after masculine archetypes like Sam Spade while feeling inept in his own home. Consider him as a private eye “Don Draper,” wearing one mask and a surface persona while concealing his real identity. Two key scenes stick out when marinating on Moseby’s intriguing identity crisis: a scene where he confronts the man sleeping with his wife (a brilliant Harris Yulin) and the man in question hits with him with a bone-crusher of a line (“Take a swing at me the way Sam Spade would”), poking fun at the insecurities his wife speaks of him and his obsession with the job; and a scene where Moseby leaves a heated argument with his wife to pursue the case and she screams after him “Why? So you can pretend you’re solving something?” Moseby is a man in crisis and Hackman’s performance exemplifies this with complex, internal character work. His face speaks a million words — he’s somber, confounded, angry … and lost.
L-R: Gene Hackman as Harry Moseby and Jennifer Warren as Paula in NIGHT MOVES. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
In addition to great character work from its main star, Night Moves has some great highlights in its supporting cast as well as within its dark humor. While discovering the whereabouts of the missing teenage daughter Delly, Harry confronts a grown man who eventually admits to having sex with her. Their exchange alone hints at the film’s dark humor: the man says to Harry after the confession, “God, there ought to be a law [against such a thing]”; Harry’s deadpan response, “There is…”. A great highlight in the cast is Jennifer Warren (Slap Shot) who plays Paula, a mysterious but humorous woman near the sea that is connected to Harry’s case. Their banter also gives some of the film its edgy charm:
Harry – “You’re kind of edgy.”
Paula – “It’s [because of] the heat and the low wages”.
She’s as much an odd duck who is hiding something as Harry is a somber private eye who is out of his element. Another highlight is a young, almost unrecognizable James Woods (Videodrome) who plays Quentin, a stuntman driver questioned by Harry about Delly’s disappearance. His nervous, shifty energy in scenes contrasts well with Harry’s steely, no-nonsense demeanor (another “mask”). To top it all off, Melanie Griffith’s (Body Double) turn as Delly is a standout charming performance which also teeters on the line of uncomfortably provocative. Being that she was 16 years old at the time of filming (which serves as the reason the film was released two years after filming), there are some nude scenes that are no doubt uncomfortable, but that doesn’t take away from her performance.
Arthur Penn’s direction of Night Moves is nothing short of labyrinthine, reflective of the daring twists and turns of its primary story. Penn brings 1970s Los Angeles to life, from the outskirts to the hills to the movie sets to the ocean. We follow Harry in his quest to not just find the truth but to discover the truth within himself as well. Penn keeps his eye on the drama, not just the mystery, and that’s what sets the film apart from other neo-noirs; as much as Harry is wearing the private eye mask, the film wears a nicely concealed mask of neo-noir and reveals a layered drama beneath the surface. For everything that hits well with Night as a picture, one glaring point of contention is the film’s editing. Dede Allen’s (The Breakfast Club) editing is a mixed bag. On one hand, it’s confounding and confusing; on the other, it’s ingenious. A glaring scene that highlights bad editing is a sequence where Harry is confronting a woman in regard to the case, the next shot arrives after the actor’s dialogue is interrupted mid-speech and the actors are then found in totally different positions than the last shot (I don’t think this was on purpose). One sequence in which the editing is ingenious is the film’s heart-pounding climax where Harry hides from a floatplane whose pilot is trying to kill him. The editing of this sequence paired with its haunting reveal afterwards is masterful cinema and reflects daring ‘70s cinema at its best.
L-R: Gene Hackman as Harry Moseby and Susan Clark as Ellen Moseby in NIGHT MOVES. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Criterion’s release of Night Moves is nothing short of complementary to the haunting neo-noir. The 4K digital restoration alone is gorgeous, bringing the daylight and night vibe of Los Angles to life in crisp color. The film honestly doesn’t look like a ‘70s film in some scenes, it looks like a picture that could have been made in a recent decade. On the supplemental side, there’s definitely a lot to chew on: an audio commentary by Matthew Asprey Gear, author of the book “Moseby Confidential;” an interview with actor Jennifer Warren; two interviews with Arthur Penn (one from a 1995 documentary and one from a 1975 episode of “Cinema Showcase”); and the booklet contains an essay by critic Mark Harris. In addition to the trailer and English subtitles, there is also a great behind-the-scenes featurette called “The Day of the Director,” recorded on-set during filming, a rarity for ‘70s films like these. This is a great find for fans of the neo-noir genre as well as conspiracy thrillers.
Night Moves Blu-ray Special Features:
- *NEW* 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- *NEW* audio commentary by Matthew Asprey Gear, author of Moseby Confidential
- *NEW* audio interview with actor Jennifer Warren
- Interview with director Arthur Penn from a 1975 episode of Cinema Showcase
- Interview with Penn from the 1995 documentary Arthur Penn: A Love Affair with Film
- The Day of the Director, a behind-the-scenes featurette
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Mark Harris
- New cover by Greg Manchess
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray from The Criterion Collection on March 25th, 2025.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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