Night Moves

Name: Night Moves
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: May 30, 2014
Duration: 112 min
Rating: 75
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Jesse Eisenberg, Peter Sarsgaard

2014

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 64 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 64 Ratings

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Night Moves

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Movie Details & Credits

| Release Date: May 30, 2014 | R

Starring: Dakota Fanning, Jesse Eisenberg, Peter Sarsgaard

Summary: As organic farmer Josh (Jesse Eisenberg), high society dropout Dena (Dakota Fanning) and ex-Marine Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard) plan, carry out and then witness the fallout of an attention-grabbing act of sabotage, they find their own personal limits tested.

Director: Kelly Reichardt

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 112 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Michael O'Sullivan

Jun 5, 2014

It’s a richly engrossing drama, so long as you understand that it’s aiming for the head, not the gut. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

May 30, 2014

Night Moves eschews traditional tension-building through plot twists and betrayals to focus on its characters, as Reichardt uses her increasingly impressive sense of composition and intuitive pacing to slow burn the audience into a state of anxiety instead of manipulatively pushing them there. Read full review

The Telegraph Robbie Collin

Sep 16, 2013

This is mesmerically assured and tensile film-making, with two complex and plausible performances at its core, and the shin-stinging kick of a Chaucerian moral fable. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Jun 26, 2014

Night Moves is an unexpected pleasure, offering more than what we expect and taking its time to deliver. Read full review

Chris Nashawaty

May 21, 2014

While the first hour is evocative and suspenseful, the second doesn’t quite muster the depths of paranoia and doom you’re led to expect. Read full review

Rene Rodriguez

Jun 5, 2014

Don’t expect Hitchcock or De Palma here — Reichardt is much too low-key and modest for such crowd-pleasing pyrotechnics — but one long, sustained shot near the end seems to suggest that people who are convinced they are doing the right thing are capable of great evil. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

May 29, 2014

The story is a shallow-draft bark with flat characters on board: Josh, in particular, is de-energized to the point of entropy. Night Moves suffers from a lack of mystery and a deficit of motion. Read full review

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User Reviews

reba

Oct 29, 2014

If you know activists, as I do, these characters are not as flat as some have suggested. The quiet moments in the truck while rehearsing or reflecting on their plan, the lack of dialogue sometimes, seemed very realistic to me after seeing many young idealists convinced they are acting forIf you know activists, as I do, these characters are not as flat as some have suggested. The quiet moments in the truck while rehearsing or reflecting on their plan, the lack of dialogue sometimes, seemed very realistic to me after seeing many young idealists convinced they are acting for the greater good and trying to be cool while doing it. I never knew anyone who went as far as murder, but you can see how the unchecked self-righteousness of people isolated from their families and the wider society and in a group-think situation could lead to unintended wrongdoing.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

klea0721

Dec 30, 2014

I wasn't sure what to expect with this film as I have mixed personal feelings about the subject. What I came away with is all life is sacred and even if intentions are good, actions always have consequences.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

JLuis_001

Sep 7, 2017

Accessible and at the same time not so much, this film requires attention, but not to delve into it with more difficult subjects than one might think, but to understand more easily what happens on screen, the film is not difficult to see, but neither is it the kind of movies that you watch on whim.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TVJerry

Jun 11, 2014

To have the word "moves" in the title is a misnomer, because the one thing this film doesn't do is move. This deliberately-paced drama features Jesse Eisenberg in almost every frame. He plays an organic farmer who sets out with Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard to blow up a damn in an actTo have the word "moves" in the title is a misnomer, because the one thing this film doesn't do is move. This deliberately-paced drama features Jesse Eisenberg in almost every frame. He plays an organic farmer who sets out with Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard to blow up a damn in an act of eco terrorism. Their careful operation occupies the first half of the story, then the inevitable complications add to the impact. Eisenberg works against his usual fast-paced, neurotic delivery with this sullen, serious performance. While it's mildly interesting, the low-key pace and quiet lack of energy make it an exercise in patience.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

ganser

Sep 20, 2014

All was good, I was willing to wait as the plot unfolded, and love that tension is built by what doesn't happen as much as by what does. My biggest disappointment is the ending, which is nonsensical, unbelievable and out of character, given how the lead actor's role is handled. Perhaps thisAll was good, I was willing to wait as the plot unfolded, and love that tension is built by what doesn't happen as much as by what does. My biggest disappointment is the ending, which is nonsensical, unbelievable and out of character, given how the lead actor's role is handled. Perhaps this is a flaw in direction, or in Eisenberg's artistic choices, but it spoils the film for me. It feels like a "then I woke up" ending.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

LowbrowCinema

Jun 9, 2014

I adored Kelly Reichardt's first film OLD JOY. So subtle, obtuse and winning. OLD JOY displayed a true feel for the awkwardness of contemporary American life. Three films later and I'm realizing that I don't really care for her aesthetic. With NIGHT MOVES, everything that seemed so intricateI adored Kelly Reichardt's first film OLD JOY. So subtle, obtuse and winning. OLD JOY displayed a true feel for the awkwardness of contemporary American life. Three films later and I'm realizing that I don't really care for her aesthetic. With NIGHT MOVES, everything that seemed so intricate and complex, comes across as banal and contrived. The first 40 minutes are quite terrific but then NIGHT MOVES becomes everything it seems to despise. I always feel saddened when a filmmaker is clearly losing their way and Reichardt is clearly lost but I'll keep hoping for her return. We need distinct voices in film but she has lost hers at least for now.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Broyax

Jan 8, 2017

Des anarcho-écolos qui font péter un barrage pour le bien de la natuuure, pourquoi pas (au point où on en est...) encore faudrait-il en sortir un film correct au lieu de ce téléfilm minable qui se traîne à deux à l'heure pendant presque deux plombes et dans lequel les acteurs se révèlentDes anarcho-écolos qui font péter un barrage pour le bien de la natuuure, pourquoi pas (au point où on en est...) encore faudrait-il en sortir un film correct au lieu de ce téléfilm minable qui se traîne à deux à l'heure pendant presque deux plombes et dans lequel les acteurs se révèlent tout aussi minables.

Jesse Eisenberg est un tacheron sans envergure qui a la prestance d'un balai à chiottes et le charisme d'une poignée de porte. Dakota Fanning est une pouffe pas belle déjà fanée qui a l'allant d'une endive périmenaze. Le film se finit en eau de boudin, le scénariste étant sans doute à court d'idées et de bourbon. Et cette mise en scène pourrave, cette photographie terne n'aident pas non plus à sortir ce film merdique du cloaque où il semble si bien se complaire.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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