Night Moves

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Night Moves

R

Released Jun 11, 1975

1h 39m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Hard-nosed private investigator Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman), to distract himself from a rapidly deteriorating marriage, takes a case from an aging B-movie queen (Janet Ward) to locate her runaway daughter, Delly (Melanie Griffith). His search takes him to the Florida Keys, where the girl has been hiding out with her stepfather, Tom (John Crawford), and Tom's lover, Paula (Jennifer Warren). Harry initiates an affair with Paula and soon learns the case is more complex than he first assessed it.

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Budd Wilkins

Slant Magazine

Arthur Penn’s Night Moves is one of the great revisionist noirs, taking its place alongside Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown.

Mar 25, 2025

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Joseph Gelmis

Newsday

A terse, bleak, psychological suspense flick that has a lot going for it despite a totally incomprehensible slam bang ending that leaves the plots unsorted.

Feb 27, 2025

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Penelope Gilliatt

The New Yorker

I don't remember any other film that so freely moves, like a sleeper's imagination, among the realms of air, land, and water.

Dec 15, 2021

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Joshua Ryan

FandomWire

Night Moves drops Hackman square in the center of a twisted mystery. It’s a pulpy, muddy story that — even by today’s standards — feels surprising and unpredictable.

Rated: 8/10

Mar 26, 2025

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

A shaggy version of Chinatown in many ways...

Rated: 3/4

Mar 21, 2025

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Dave Giannini

InSession Film

Night Moves is a movie that is not only worth your time, but is one that I see myself returning to on numerous occasions. Our cinema world is less interesting and darker without a presence like Hackman...

Feb 23, 2024

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Brad S. R

A wickedly intriguing thriller.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

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Mary C

Absolutely creepy. No plot, just several attempts to illicit sexual sensation's while looking at a 16 year old girl. Good job Hollywood for getting away with sexually soliciting a minor ....yuk Lots of problems with this and I am a very sexually healthy woman.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/29/24

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CodyZamboni Z

Solid mystery, Lots of smart dialogue and insight, Twisty plot, Sobering ending, Movie's plot and direction meanders alot, which I think is the point.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/01/24

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Simon T

Arthur Penn's 70s thriller has only grown in reputation since its initial release. Chess-playing private detective Harry Moseby is hired to trace the wayward teenage daughter of a faded Hollywood actress. What he uncovers is a Venn diagram of competing betrayals and secrets, culminating in several linked deaths. As much a mood piece as a whodunnit, it's anchored by another fine performance by Gene Hackman as the tortured tec.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/26/24

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Brian K

Hackman salvages this plot-deficient private detective story. Typical 70's noir ending.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/25/24

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sj w

it was a good watch and the ending was entertaining and surprising. some weird scenes but normal for the time I guess. decent main character from reddit : As with Jake Gittes in Chinatown, the downfall of Hackman's detective character (sorry but I forgot the name) is his emotional investment in the case. This emotional attachment is probably heightened by his marital troubles, but underneath that, there is a central decency and honesty to his character that is in some ways more human than most archetypal noir gumshoes. He's world-weary, yes, but not too cold or cynical as with the likes of Sam Spade.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/15/23

Full Review

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Arthur Penn

Director

Gene Hackman

Harry Moseby

Jennifer Warren

Paula

Melanie Griffith

Delly Grastner

Susan Clark

Ellen Moseby

Edward Binns

Joey Ziegler

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Synopsis

Hard-nosed private investigator Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman), to distract himself from a rapidly deteriorating marriage, takes a case from an aging B-movie queen (Janet Ward) to locate her runaway daughter, Delly (Melanie Griffith). His search takes him to the Florida Keys, where the girl has been hiding out with her stepfather, Tom (John Crawford), and Tom's lover, Paula (Jennifer Warren). Harry initiates an affair with Paula and soon learns the case is more complex than he first assessed it.

Director: Arthur Penn
Producer: Robert M. Sherman
Screenwriter: Alan Sharp
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 11, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2011
Runtime: 1h 39m

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