Lack of good storyline.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Surely a better film could have secured for Gene Hackman and director Arthur Penn. "Night Moves" certainly isn't worthy of these two talented individuals. The film seems to have been strung together in haste as the plot has no sense of continuity. There is no action to speak of, although the violence is plentiful. Anything with Gene Hackman is worth seeing, whether he is the leading man or providing solid support. He is about the only reason to see "Night Moves."

In "Night Moves", Gene Hackman plays Harry Moseby, a private investigator from L.A. who takes on the case of a missing daughter. The trail leads him to Florida, where he becomes entwined in the lives and laid back lifestyles of the family and their associates.Harry's profession involves delving into the details of others' lives, but his own life is largely unexamined. His marriage is unfulfilling due to his inattention. As he focuses on his cases, he misses the peripheral details of his own life and the clues to remedy the situation.The film's title is a variation on "knight moves", which refers to a famous chess game and implies that Harry might be more successful in life if he thought creatively (instead of getting bogged down in minutiae).Directed by Arthur Penn, "Night Moves" may not appeal to viewers who prefer traditional story arcs. It features Jennifer Warren in her second big screen role, a young James Woods two years after "The Way We Were", and teenage Melanie Griffith in her first credited performance. Her first appearance on screen might be an homage to Bardot.I would not call this film noir, and Harry's language and mannerisms are less intense than a Sam Spade (and more like Philip Marlowe, which is appropriate for L.A.).

"Night Moves" is one of the better neo-noirs of the '70s, with Hackman in a similar role to the one Nicholson perfected in "Chinatown" the year before.I think the contribution that the filmmakers of the '70s made to film noir was to create a character who was as lost in the plot as we were. Bogart played a character who was a part of that world. He could manipulate it and duck in and out of it. The private detectives in "Night Moves" and "Chinatown" don't understand it and are fed up with it.The ending of "Night Moves" doesn't have the same punch as "Chinatown", though. It's well handled, but the final twist falls flat because it leaves you with too many unanswered questions. It's entirely possible we're not supposed to understand it, but if this is true, that's not communicated. I didn't find the movie leading up to it incomprehensible enough to indicate this.

Much Admired Neo-Noir from Director Arthur Penn and Starring Gene Hackman and a Very Young and Very Nude Melanie Griffith in Her First Credited Performance. It is a Murky Looking Film with a Murky Plot. Almost All of the Movies from the Early Seventies Look Murky Even when there is No Attempt at Such a Style.But Here it is Murked Up On Purpose with Shots within Shots Behind Curtains and Dirty Glass and Anything Else On Hand that can be Put In Front of the Camera to Symbolize, well, Murkiness. Because in a Noir Things are Never Very Clear and in This One it Never Really Is.Hackman's Private Eye isn't the Most Observant or the Best Private Eye, He is Average at Best and Seems to be Struggling Most of the Time with Character's Motivations and Behavior. He Looks Perpetually Puzzled as the Film Unreels to Reveal the Intricacies of the Plot, and Intricate it is.The Movie is Off Center and Uses its Locations of Hollywood and Florida for Background Contrast where Nasty Stuff is Happening and Nasty People, Who Appear on the Surface to be Friendly, but Are They? Harry Never Seems to Know Who is Who and Which is Which and What is What.There are a Number of Side Characters and Side Plots as this Dense and Deliberately Dower Drama Unfolds. It is a Fascinating Film at Times, Well Written and Acted, the Set Designs are Realistic, Cluttered, and Frumpled. Arthur Penn's Direction is Busy and Ballsy. A Shortcoming May Be the Awful Underscoring. The Ending is Pure Noir.