Excellent, smart action film.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Sweet little movie which could've easily been titled "Max's Bar". It stars John Saxon as a badly damaged man, Roary, whose suicide attempt left his body crippled in that his back is twisted(Saxon's ability to convince us wholeheartedly of this is a major accomplishment he desires mucho accolades)affecting the way he walks. He enters into a bar, meeting a bartender named Jerry(David Morse) with a bum knee, linked to a junk whore named Anne(Amy Wright). With 10 grand, Roary sees fit to use his cash to help pay of the debt owed on Max's Bar, and with his assistance, the business takes off. Jerry, his mouth getting the best of him, challenges a star basketball player for the Golden State Warriors, Alvin Martin(Harold Sylvester), to a round of ball and almost beats him, setting off a sequence of events he couldn't have dreamed of..thanks to Roary, who becomes Jerry's loyal and honorable pal. Jerry's Achilles' heel is Anne who returns to him after a stint with a vicious pimp, Lucius(Tony Burton). Lucius and his goons batter Jerry, with Anne returning to him. So Jerry gives up on life and it's to Roary's credit that he is snapped out of his depression and given a new lease..a talk with Alvin, and Roary might help Jerry follow a dream.Richard Donner's Inside Moves is about dreams, and not forgetting those who helped you along the way. With such a wonderful cast, including a superb supporting group, bar loungers who share a common cordial friendship with each other, such as Bill Henderson(..as wheel-chair bound Blue Lewis), Stinky(Bert Remsen, as the blind joker, always tickling the funny bones of his gang), and Wings(Harold Russel, the vocal leader of the boys, with no hands..many will remember him from The Best Years of Our Lives), I couldn't help but embrace them. Steve Kahan is Donner regular, Burt, a bartender/waiter(who later was the boss of Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon movies)and Jack O'Leary is bar owner Max, who wouldn't increase taxes on his customers which caused his financial troubles.This is the kind of movie which tugs on the heartstrings, it's a gentle, caring film without a bad bone in it's body. Tony Burton's pimp creates the only real violence in the movie, and he's drawn into this story's little setting by good-for-nothing Anne, who leeches on naive Jerry for drug money. The camaraderie among the cast is genuine and pleasant. The budding romance between Roary and a waitress, Louise(..portrayed by Diana Scarwid) only injects more sparks into an already luminous film. Good use of street locations, one of Richard Donner's most off-beat and smaller scaled pictures..very invested in the characters. While I've always responded in kind to Donner's explosive actioners, it's nice to know he could make such an endearing film. Any other time and John Saxon's character would've been exploited as an object of ridicule or comedy. I can't believe I have never even heard of this movie before..go figure. Saxon is the heart and soul of the movie and his work with Scarwid and Morse simply works wonders.

I recall seeing this quirky sleeper gem in 1980 on HBO when I was about 13 and was enthralled with the unique story about a man named Roary (John Savage, best known for his superb similar work in THE DEER HUNTER, and a highly underrated actor)whose failure at suicide in a freefall off a 10 story building in LA leads to a painful recovery and his gradual acceptance of a second chance at life. He discovers it at Max's Bar, a dive that houses many handicapped denizens, misfits and colorful types including a trio of elderly men (veteran character actors Bill Henderson, Bert Remsen and Academy Award winner Harold Russell, who won a special Oscar for THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, a WWII vet who lost both his hands with hooks for substitutes); an affable bartender named Jerry (David Morse in one of his earliest and memorable turns) who has a lame leg as well; and a beautiful waitress named Louise (Diana Scarwid, who would gain an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress). It is here that Roary eventually comes out of his shell, finds a best friend in Jerry and a possible soulmate in Louise, and more importantly a new outlook on life itself.Directed with aplomb, reassurance and tender care by veteran helmsman Richard Donner (LETHAL WEAPON, THE OMEN, SUPERMAN, etc.) the film unspools very gradually and certain likelihoods are just accustomed for the way the story unfolds (i.e. characters pop up out of nowhere with no backgrounds on them but just like life, accepted as part of the fabric of society). Based on a novel by Tony Walton and adapted superbly with finesse, wit and humanity by scribe team Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson (who would go on to his own acclaim as an Oscar winning filmmaker for RAIN MAN), the movie is a minor miracle in acting, directing and screen writing. Bare bones for all the world to see but a precious heart at its center with flawless performances by its three leads and some truly heart-wrenching yet not maudlin moments (Savage's climactic confrontation with both Morse and Scarwid are for the film vault and should be viewed by students of acting to see what true acting really is!) It made my heart warm to hear this incredible film was finally coming out on DVD and I can truly say it was my pleasure to re-experience this true original film that has echoes of Hal Ashby and any other 1970's 'golden age' film of its waning era on the cusp of a new decade that would more or less push nuance aside. *** One last personal note: when I first saw this with my good friend and neighbor Joe Hetro, we would always greet each other with the "Hey – Jer-REE!" fist pump ; a fine memory of my childhood.

Inside Moves is a nice film that sort of combines the best of 70s-styled minimal cinema with the heart you would expect from a Richard Donner film. The most interesting thing about the making of this film is that it's the movie Richard Donner did after he was fired from Superman II. Donner had been a highly successful television director for nearly 20 years when he got his big break on 'The Omen' in 1976. On that hit, he was offered 'Superman' and directed a large scale classic. We'll see most of his vision for 'Superman II' later this year when 'The Donner Cut' comes out on DVD. However, 'Inside Moves' is a small scale film that tells a simple human story and shows that Donner can win with both big and small films.The opening prelude is quite stunning. John Savage plays Roary, a man who walks up to a building, goes in, and jumps out the window of the 10th floor to commit suicide. He fails and after recovery, he ends up disabled and with nothing. He walks into a bar and finds himself among other disabled people, including Jerry (David Morse in an early lead role) whose bad knee prevents him from following his dream of playing basketball. Roary finds that these people openly kid about their disabilities and at the same time care about each other. Roary begins to open up and find hope and cling to his new friend, Jerry. When Roary helps Jerry get money to have an operation that will fix his knee, Jerry forgets his roots and leaves the bar, disappointing his friends. It's up to Roary to deal with his own emotions and feelings for a fellow waitress (nicely played by Diana Scarwig in an Oscar-nominated performance), and calling Jerry out to return to his friends at the bar.There are a few schmaltzy moments, but this film has focus and heart. Donner always succeeds in that. More than that, this film has some wonderful issues that are touching and make you think. Remembering your roots, friendship, love for someone with a disability, and how one person's success can mean so much to his friends are just many of the slices of life that this film depicts. It's all done with taste and intimate style that makes you feel like you know these people. I found myself laughing at jokes that i didn't even think were funny because I simply liked and cared for the people. There are lots of veteran actors you'll recognize including Steve Kahan (Donner's cousin, who is in nearly every Donner film), Bill Henderson (a wonderful actor who is one of the most friendly people you wish you'd meet) and after a 34 year absence since his Oscar-winning performance in 'The Best Years of Our Lives' - Harold Russell - whose disability of having metal hands is not exploited. This film doesn't treat people with disabilities in such a way. You don't look at the blind man's lack of eyes, or the man with the metal hands, you look at people. The whole cast is wonderful. A lot of the actors get to etch characters that they don't get to do in every role they take. Richard Donner deserves a cheer for this small film with a big heart.

I saw this movie when we first got cable in the early 80's. It really got my attention with the jarring beginning, and the subsequent treatment of the initial character and the bar acquaintances who soon become his support and "family". Great ensemble cast, great soundtrack( I have it on LP), great story. You'll recognize several faces of character actors and some who went on to the small screen for bigger parts. The story doesn't protect the viewer from the ugliness of the characters' lives, though it does let us see the joy and hope the have in the less-than-ideal lives they must live. Some might classify the ending as "hokey", but I prefer to see it as "satisfying".