NIGHT MOVES Gets the Criterion Treatment, Celebrating Its Dark Noir Brilliance

Streaming might be the future, but physical media is still the present -- for movie lovers, anyway. It's also awesome, depending on the title, the label, and the release, so join us as we take a look at the new 4K UHDs, Blu-rays, and DVDs heading your way. Now keep reading as we explore... Criterion's new 4K UHD of Arthur Penn's brilliant neonoir, Night Moves!

We lost the legendary Gene Hackman recently, and this one still hurt, despite the fact that he stopped acting two decades prior. His film career began in the 1960s and ended with 2004's Welcome to Mooseport. It would be a punchline in anyone else's filmography, but Hackman's work is filled with so many stone-cold classics that jokes fall flat before the man's onscreen brilliance. What I'm saying is, he is sorely missed and will be for many decades to come.

The grief is managed somewhat by the pure joy and satisfaction that comes from revisiting so many of his films. The French Connection, The Birdcage, Crimson Tide, Unforgiven, The Royal Tenenbaums... so many greats, with so many more left unnamed. He could do action, drama, comedy. He could be serious, terrifying, warm, hilarious. He could do it all.

Arthur Penn's Night Moves is a prime example of that. Hackman plays Harry Moseby, a former football player turned private eye in Los Angeles with a troubled marriage and a dedication to the simplicity of self-employment. His unfaithful wife would love it if he moved to a bigger, more established agency, but that's not the life for Harry.

His latest case comes courtesy of a long-retired actress, wealthy from her previous marriage to a studio head, who hires him to find her teenage daughter. The daughter, Delly (Melanie Griffith), is a free spirit -- and heir to the studio honcho's fortune -- and Harry tracks her down in Florida where she's living with her stepfather and the man's girlfriend (of sorts). It's all so simple, but nothing, not a damn bit of it, is exactly what it seems.

Night Moves is the epitome of what makes 1970s cinema so damn good. From a cast filled with memorable, character-heavy faces including Jennifer Warren, James Woods, Susan Clark, Harris Yulin, and more, to a script by Alan Sharp that creates a deep, rich world without ever feeling compelled to spoon feed plot to audiences, the film is a beautiful joy to experience right up through the gut punch ending. Harry may not be a great private eye, but he's one hell of a character caught up in a world of disappointment and greed.

The cast is stellar across the board, including Grifith in her (non-extra) feature debut, but it's Hackman who sits at the center of it all, heart in hand, hoping for the best and unprepared for the worst. His big frame carries the weight of betrayal, one after the last, and he wears it in his eyes. It's an incredibly affecting turn, especially as it sits amid the twisty thrills of a modern day neonoir.

Criterion's new release includes both a 4K UHD and a Blu-ray, and most of the special features are on the latter. The new 4K digital restoration is the expectedly good upgrade improving detail and darkness while retaining the film's grain and color scheme. It looks fantastic with Dolby Vision HDR offering noticeable upgrades in the film's nighttime and underwater scenes.

Both discs include a commentary by Moseby Confidential author, Matthew Asprey Gear, and it's a great listen for fans who enjoy details on both filmmaking and the film at hand. Additional extras include the trailer and the following.

- An interview with Arthur Penn from 1975 [19:17]
- An interview with Arthur Penn from 1995 [5:22]
- NEW An audio interview with Jennifer Warren [17:04] - "The women are usually secondary... but those women are so finely wrought." Warren praises Alan Sharp's script, recalls auditioning initially for the role of the wife but being drawn towards the character of Paula and asking Penn if she could try for that part instead, Hackman being initially annoyed by improvisation, and more.
- The Day of the Director [8:33] - a making of featurette

The film is now available in a 4K + Blu-ray combo edition, as well as a separate Blu-ray only edition. Visit the official Criterion site for more information.