Night Moves (2014)

#52filmsbywomenNight Moves is a classic example of a slow, but interesting movie. The pace is low, but it is not an annoying film to watch, due to the magnificent tension and atmosphere. Especially the first part of the movie is fantastic. The movie is getting even better due to the wonderful ambient music. Dakota Fanning is great too. She has a very great appearance and is very mysterious. Despite this is the second and third part of the movie not as good as the first part. The tension is gone due to a plot twist. That is a shame, but a good film nevertheless.

Josh (Jesse Eisenberg) and Dena (Dakota Fanning) are radical environmentalists. They buy a boat called "Night Moves". They along with troubled ex-Marine Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard) plan to bomb a dam. They buy a large quantity of fertilizer, make their bomb and deliver it on the boat.This is a slow, methodical movie. There are so many empty spaces. It's a two hour movie that could easily be squeezed in half. It's just so very slow. Everybody is doing mainly quiet acting. Some could see in it as deep emotional acting. They can read so much into their quietness. I can only read it as a lack of dialog. There are some emotional content in the second half but it's not enough.

If you are a fan of slow-paced, character-driven movies, than Night Moves is the perfect movie for you. This film presents a rather good theme regarding environmentalism and saving the planet, but the film, even by my standards, move at such a snail pace, it would be hard to watch the film. That being said, it has a moving story and great acting as we should expect with such a character-driven drama. And no, this film is not about Bob Seger's "Night Moves," as one would want to expect, haha. Kelly Reichart's film is about how three radicalized people decide to blow up a dam and the unforeseen consequences they face due to their actions. I thought everyone gave compelling performances in the movie. Jesse Eisenberg does a good job as the leader of the plot, Josh. He was mostly sullen and conflicted, but then again his character had to be. Dakota Fanning does a fine job as Dena, who begins to raise doubts after the incident. Peter Sarsgaard was pretty good as Harmon, the ex-Marine who seems quite suspicious. Overall, Night Moves is a slow-moving, but very interesting drama. I liked the characterization and I even liked the ending, as it leaves a message open to interpretation. But on the other hand, the movie crawling at such a slow pace can be a tad irritating. But this movie does have interesting themes to play with and relevant themes as well. My Grade: B-

I had never heard of this film, and now I know why. There's not much I can say that's good about this movie, I thought when I picked it up and read that it was a thriller, that I'd be on the edge of my seat, but I wasn't. I think that the fact that they didn't give you enough time to get invested in the characters or give you a reason behind why they were doing what they were doing, did not help either. I felt that this movie was slow and that I just didn't feel anything for the situation they were going through. I felt like my money was wasted in the film and frankly, I haven't felt this way since I watched "get shorty." So in the end, I would have to say, if you are wanting to see a thriller, don't see this movie, because I feel that you would be greatly disappointed. And I was hoping for a lot more from Dakota fanning and Jessie eisenberg, both who are good actors in their own right, just not in this.