Day 1 - Night Moves

Day 1 - Night Moves (1975)

By some chance (a random pick out of 341 in Ebert's List) I happened to begin my 30 days' journey with Night Moves. Having never heard of this movie, the viewing experience was an act of discovery. As the story begins to unfold, one realize that it is one of those private detective stories - so it must be a suspense, one is led to believe. But as the story progresses, that initial recognition is both validated and challenged, because the meat of the plot is neither that of a classic suspense nor involves the thrill of final discovery. The original suspense, about a missing girl, is solved very early in the film and without much sense of finality.

What one is left with is the empathy for the lead character of the detective, played with easy gruffness and poise by Gene Hackman. Actually, Hackman's Mosley is what captures one's attention. He does well in playing the small-time private-eye who is fighting for the clues of the case along with his own personal setbacks. It has to be said that every other character is really well cast and played, especially the enigmatic character played by Jennifer Warren.

The story is hard to follow at times, especially towards the surprising finale, but the sparse and dark "noir" mood along with the fast pace of unfolding action and introduction of characters makes the journey interesting. The strange, bizzare interlude in the middle with Mosley in the Florida Keys with Warren is enigmatic for all the right reasons and the finale is quick, taut and dramatic.

But the story is all about Mosley who fails to find all the clues, about the case as well as about himself. The '70s noir feel of the movie is the other big selling point, if you are into that. The characters and the plot remains in one's mind well after the final credits.