It is a very slow paced thriller drama directed by Kelly Reichardt and written by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond. Interestingly directed, it had lots of substance which gets even better with the stars Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard, Alia Shawkat, and James LeGros. Another of the films shown in the main competition section of the 70th Venice International Film Festival and at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival which definitely needs a special attention! The story of three radical environmentalists - Josh, Dena, and Harmon, who are teaming up to execute the most spectacular direct action event of their lives: the explosion of a hydroelectric dam, was more story based and the actors were wisely chosen to make that story more effective. Regarding the story, Edward R. Pressman Film filed a lawsuit in September 2012, demanding that filming cease because of too many similarities to Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, planned to be adapted into an authorized film by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Kelly Reichardt did a good job, but I wish it was outstanding! There was plenty of room for improvement, but even this was more than enough for a happy audience. The only problem I really had was the ending. Some people claim that it was a smart decision to live the ending to the viewer, but to me the feel was that something was simply unfinished!

In her own low key way, Kelly Reichardt continues to move away from character driven movies to more plot driven ones with her latest film "Night Moves." While not entirely successful, she does make a couple of good points about the trouble that saboteurs and terrorists have in trying to get their points across to the general public with their violent acts. On a much more personal level than the plot to bomb a dam in Oregon, there is the trouble that Josh(Jesse Eisenberg) has in communicating his feelings toward Dena(Dakota Fanning), his fellow conspirator, along with Harmon(Peter Sarsgaard), an unreliable veteran, known. In any case, Eisenberg has no trouble conveying his character's emotions without that much dialogue. But that same low key approach can also work against the movie which does not so much end, as just sort of runs out of gas eventually. Another example would be a key scene that while at first might seem disposable is actually a flashback to the first time Josh meets Dena. It is at a screening of an environmental film. During the Q & A, Dena asks the filmmaker what she can do. It is Josh, scowling in the corner before this, who does have an answer for her.