‘When we’re all as free as Delly there’ll be rioting in the streets…’
Here are some words and phrases that instantly put me off any film: ‘noir’, ‘private detective’, ‘thriller’. I just can’t with this shit. We know what it will be. Hushed conversations. Dark rooms. Way too much plot. And, so it is with Night Moves. Luckily, there are two other words that make this film worthwhile – ‘Gene’ and ‘Hackman’…
Harry Moseby (Hackman), a former pro footballer turned private investigator, is hired by ageing former actress Arlene Iverson (Janet Ward) to find her teenage daughter Delly (Melanie Griffith in her first film role). There is also a bunch of nonsense about smuggling relics from Mexico to the United States, which could easily have been jettisoned.
In some ways, Hackman’s Moseby is a fairly typical neo-noir PI. He becomes more unhinged as the film develops, however, which is connoted by the fact that his hair becomes increasingly dishevelled the more bewildered he becomes. This is a character who bears no resemblance to Popeye Doyle, Hackman’s other famous onscreen detective, and the fact that he can play two similar characters within the space of four years and imbue both of them with a totally different energy is a testament to his considerable skills as an actor. Elsewhere, while there is some controversy surrounding the casting of Griffith (she was only 16 years old at the time of filming and there are some steamy moments here), she certainly announces herself with aplomb in a star-making turn that served as a launchpad for the rest of her career.
Night Moves is best enjoyed by putting it on late at night and letting it wash over you in an awesome wave. Don’t worry about the plot or the characters or the fact that every male character seems obsessed with having sex with a teenage girl, and instead, focus on Hackman and drink his performance in – a true master of the craft.
