Night moves (1975)

Sleazy types in shabby surroundings uttering woozy lines & trying to solve the mysteries of life: thrillers from the 70's at their best. Gene Hackman excels in the sleaze league in Arthur Penn's Night Moves, a story about a private eye called Moseby (MOSEBY!) working in a dreary office doing various gigs. His wife nags at him and life looks pretty miserable. Then he gets the classical film noir gig: he is hired by a femme fatale-ish woman to look for her 16-year old daughter who has gone missing. The mission finally takes him to Florida, where he finds the girl with her stepfather and his lover. Night Moves is all about the atmosphere. The story itself is .... r a t h e r elusive. Gene Hackman has little clue about what is going on and new surprises awaits for the viewer and the rather hapless private eye who instead of doing his job flirts with women. This private eye is left in the dark, rather than stepping up as a world-weary hero who ties all the threads together. Some say that the plot will reveal itself upon multiple viewings. Speaking for myself, I am not sure whether I am willing to put in that kind of effort.