It's set in the early 1970s in Los Angeles and Key West, Florida. It involves a down-at-the-heel private detective as he tries to figure out the complexities of a seemingly missing teenager case, as well as his own failing marriage.
Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman) is a struggling detective who doesn't like his own work. He's a former NFL defensive back, and we know he's smart because he loves chess and its history. But, unfortunately, his wife, Ellen (Susan Clark), is having an affair with a wealthy man with a limp. Meanwhile, Harry has been hired by a faded middle-aged actress, Arlene Iverson (Janet Ward), to find her missing 16-year-old daughter, Delly (Melanie Griffith).
Along the way, Harry meets one of Delly's former boyfriends, a super mechanic named Quentin (James Woods), and former acting colony friends of Arlene's, Marv Ellman (Anthony Costello). Harry then follows Arlene's last husband, Tom Iverson (John Crawford), who lives in Key West. There he encounters Tom's current partner, Paula (Jennifer Warren), and the missing Delly. Mysterious things are happening there, and one night Harry gets it on with Paula, who is as enigmatic about her past as Harry is about his world.
Delly refuses to return to Los Angeles until she is rattled one night when swimming. She discovers a plane underwater with the pilot in a state of decomposition. Harry takes her back to Arlene, where bickering immediately begins before Delly heads off to work as an extra in movies. She soon dies in a suspicious auto accident.
Harry learns that the dead pilot was Marv Ellman and that he was involved with smuggling. This leads Harry to pursue the truth even though his "case" is over. He discovers Tom and Paula are deeply involved in the smuggling. He fights and possibly kills Tom and demands that he and Paula go out at night to resurrect the contraband (sculpture from the Yucatán Peninsula). The beyond-belief ending has Harry and the boat going in circles.
Some critics think "Night Moves" is a psychological masterpiece. I think it was a movie with interesting characters, a vastly overblown plot, and a problematic screenplay. Gene Hackman does "down-at-the-heels" very well. Quentin plays James Woods. Jennifer Warren does the enigmatic woman very well and is a good match for Hackman. John Crawford is a cipher. Melanie Griffith seems sexually over-the-top for the early 1970s. Susan Clark does well as the wife of a guy who has lost control of his life while dealing with her own issues.
Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman) is a struggling detective who doesn't like his own work. He's a former NFL defensive back, and we know he's smart because he loves chess and its history. But, unfortunately, his wife, Ellen (Susan Clark), is having an affair with a wealthy man with a limp. Meanwhile, Harry has been hired by a faded middle-aged actress, Arlene Iverson (Janet Ward), to find her missing 16-year-old daughter, Delly (Melanie Griffith).
Along the way, Harry meets one of Delly's former boyfriends, a super mechanic named Quentin (James Woods), and former acting colony friends of Arlene's, Marv Ellman (Anthony Costello). Harry then follows Arlene's last husband, Tom Iverson (John Crawford), who lives in Key West. There he encounters Tom's current partner, Paula (Jennifer Warren), and the missing Delly. Mysterious things are happening there, and one night Harry gets it on with Paula, who is as enigmatic about her past as Harry is about his world.
Delly refuses to return to Los Angeles until she is rattled one night when swimming. She discovers a plane underwater with the pilot in a state of decomposition. Harry takes her back to Arlene, where bickering immediately begins before Delly heads off to work as an extra in movies. She soon dies in a suspicious auto accident.
Harry learns that the dead pilot was Marv Ellman and that he was involved with smuggling. This leads Harry to pursue the truth even though his "case" is over. He discovers Tom and Paula are deeply involved in the smuggling. He fights and possibly kills Tom and demands that he and Paula go out at night to resurrect the contraband (sculpture from the Yucatán Peninsula). The beyond-belief ending has Harry and the boat going in circles.
Some critics think "Night Moves" is a psychological masterpiece. I think it was a movie with interesting characters, a vastly overblown plot, and a problematic screenplay. Gene Hackman does "down-at-the-heels" very well. Quentin plays James Woods. Jennifer Warren does the enigmatic woman very well and is a good match for Hackman. John Crawford is a cipher. Melanie Griffith seems sexually over-the-top for the early 1970s. Susan Clark does well as the wife of a guy who has lost control of his life while dealing with her own issues.