The Big Fix

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Audience Member Based on Roger L. Simon's novel starring Richard Dreyfuss, Bonnie Bedelia, and John Lithgow, F. Murray Abraham Moses Wine is a private investigator and a single father His former flame Lila gives him a simple job digging into a political smear attack on a campaign But it turns out to be much more dangerous; much of what Moses stumbles into involves an unsolved murder of a former 1960s radical leader Howard Eppis and a terrorists plan to explode an LA freeway Can Moses solve the case and protect his family? It's a slick mystery full of labyrinths but Abraham doesn't show up until an hour and a half into the movie Dreyfuss makes the material watchable being that he can blow the whistle on his friends since they all had revolutionary backgrounds Sometimes that bites back hard The last half is the best past where everyone is racing to stop the bomb threat A comedic noir with a bit of an edge added with dirty politics as well as family strife Not great but good enough of a 70's detective story Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/09/23 Full Review Steve D Wildly inconsistent in both tone and quality. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/14/23 Full Review steven a Simon adapted his own novel, altering the ending at the studio's behest. He draws on Watergate in his portrayal of shady political dealings and blends it with Chandler-esque mystery elements and a detective hero as much of his time as Marlowe had been. Where Simon diverges from the source inspiration of his creation is that he allows Wine to have a full backstory and often saddles him with his kids from his failed marriage, as ex-wife Bedelia forges a new life for herself. This, along with Dreyfuss' wisecracking and cynical character, gives the film a comedic overtone as it slowly builds the plot almost as an afterthought. Karin is a comic delight as Wine's politically opinionated aunt. Kagan directs efficiently and handles the shifting of tone into the final act skilfully, but the plot can often feel secondary to the character study of Wine, rendering it even more convoluted than it needs to be, resulting in an entertaining but frustrating viewing experience. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It's an overly byzantine neo-noir set in (and emotionally flat as) sunny Los Angeles about disillusioned ex radicals from (and with as many up-and-down twists as) the Bay Area, and not even an energetically hysterical Dreyfuss can fix those self-contradictions. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Obscure and my favourite Dreyfuss movie. This movie is still politically relevant and ADORABLE while making a myriad of points. When Lithgow had hair. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski is not the first film to cross a rickety counterculture with the work of a gumshoe. This film, which has yet to put out on DVD, is forgotten and it shouldn't be. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Big Fix

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