‘It’s not just a bar, Gerry. It’s family…’
Richard Donner directed Inside Moves in 1980, whilst licking his wounds after being fired from Superman II, so it’s perhaps no surprise that it’s an incredibly downbeat movie (albeit with some uplifting moments). Donner, who also directed The Omen and The Goonies, among many other classics, wanted to make something small, something personal. The result is a film that is absorbing, brilliantly acted and surprisingly tender…
After a botched suicide attempt, Roary (John Savage) finds solace in a local bar populated by troubled souls living with various disabilities. Jerry Maxwell (David Morse) limps badly, Stinky (Bert Remsen) is blind, Wings (Harold Russell) is an amputee and so forth. The men find comfort in each other until one of them begins to spread his wings, resulting in bad blood and resentment.
The thought of a film released in 1980 dealing with several disabled characters is potentially a troubling one and I was expecting this to be a bit of a wincefest if I’m honest. I should have known better. In the hands of Donner and co-writers Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson, the characters here are given dignity, respect and distinct personalities. Yes, there are jokes about disabilities here, but they are always delivered with warmth and never with spite. The acting is sensational across the board, legendary cinematographer László Kovács knocks it out of the park (Max’s Bar looks beautiful throughout) and John Barry’s subtle score holds things together nicely. This is a premise that, in the wrong hands, could so easily have gone wrong, but the talented ensemble cast and Donner’s assured direction ensure Inside Moves remains captivating throughout, even in its more unfeasible moments.
Donner has such a ridiculously great filmography that Inside Moves has fallen by the wayside in recent years. In reality, it’s one of the great bar movies and a lost classic of the era.
