Night Moves

Out of Their Depth: Corruption, Scandal and Lies in the New Hollywood Season at Riverside...

Following the cultural upheaval and racial tensions of the 1960s, the early 70s saw America increasingly in social and political turmoil as opposition to the Vietnam war grew more violent following revelations of the brutality of American forces whilst at home the full scale of the Watergate scandal was beginning to be revealed. The certainties of modern American values were not only tarnished they were found to be mired in corruption, scandal and lies. We are delighted that season curator Andy Willis will once again provide another insightful recorded introduction to this film, and all films in this season.

Gene Hackman gives another defining performance of the period - see also The Conversation - capturing in former footballer turned P.I. Harry Moseby the confusions and complexities now facing the all-American hero. Traditional American values were not only being tested by a corrupt President in the Whitehouse but also even culturally – watch out for Harry’s dig at the French New Wave! A new case searching for the missing teenage daughter (Melanie Griffiths in her debut) of a former movie star leads Moseby from Hollywood to the Florida Keys and an emotional reckoning. Scripted by Alan Sharp, Night Moves is as elegant, plotted, and deadly as the chess game Harry keeps pondering (where a champion unaccountably didn’t see checkmate coming), and, like Chinatown, has one of the most emotionally devastating endings delivered in a Hollywood film.