Review: Kelly Reichardt's 'Night Moves' Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning

Night Moves is the latest film from indie auteur Kelly Reichardt, director of neo-realistic dramas Old Joy, Meek's Cutoff, and Wendy and Lucy. Wait, come back! There's a good many who would say "neo-realistic" is euphemism for "dull", and to be fair her prior work, while incisive and emotionally staggering, tends to lack positive action. Night Moves is slightly different, however, in that its characters are set to take a very explosive action for what they perceive is a just cause.

Night Moves follows a similar tract as last year's kinetic thriller, The East, in its exploration of the radical environmentalist movement. But this is a Reichardt film through and through; more concerned with the motivations and contradictions in its trio of lead characters. Little in the way of fanfare introduces us to Josh (Jesse Eisenberg), a quiet, simmering environmentalist raised on a "green" commune; Deena (Dakota Fanning), who comes from a place of privilege, and Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard), a military vet with personal demons to spare. Out of some notion that a hydroelectric dam is in a state of anguish, the trio decide to blow it to smithereens.

Reichardt has always preferred an economy of plot in order to leave room for her character building efforts, and those who appreciate that in her work will find plenty of it. To put it bluntly: there's not a lot of story here as we simply follow the trio, almost in documentary style, as they go about their plotting. That means watching them buy the ingredients for explosives, obtaining phony credentials, and securing transportation. The minutia isn't terribly exciting but the interactions between them are rife with tension. Josh is a no-nonsense sort, angry and with a touch of social awkwardness. It's a darker spin on what we'd expect out of Eisenberg and he is one of the reasons the film works as well as it does. Dissension, jealousy, and ultimately paranoia threaten to rip the group apart, ratcheting up when it comes time to trust one another fully.

And trust is ultimately what this film is about. Told in haunting, muted tones emphasizing the natural environment, Reichardt explores the dichotomy between those who value life while causing destruction. When a twist of fate backs the trio into a dangerous corner, Reichardt casually shifts into another mode, telling a compelling story of obsession, guilt, and murder. The second half of Night Moves is gripping and unlike anything she's done before, and despite the incredibly slow pacing it's a side of her that needs to be on display more often.

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Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning Join a Revolution in New Trailer for 'Night Moves'

Kelly Reichardt's Night Moves probably isn't the sort of film one would expect to get a big marketing push. It's likely to end up at your local art house rather than in a multiplex somewhere. But here we are with the second trailer released in about a week, meaning somebody has some pretty high hopes for the environmental thriller.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard, the film centers on a trio of radical environmentalists as they plot the bombing of a damn. It's a world of paranoia and mistrust that Reichardt has created, not unlike her neo-Western Meek's Crossing, and it'll be interesting to see these three actors in that environment.

Night Moves opens on May 30th.

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First Trailer for Kelly Reichardt's 'Night Moves' Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning

Wendy and Lucy. Old Joy. Meek's Crossing. The...ummm, let's just say "deliberately paced" films of Kelly Reichardt aren't going to get her work in multiplexes any time soon. It hasn't stopped her from gaining a share of devoted fans, and considering the talent she's worked with many of them are Hollywood actors. She's rounded up another solid group for her latest film, Night Moves, and the first trailer has arrived before it hits the Tribeca Film Festival.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Peter Sarsgaard, and Dakota Fanning as a trio of radical environmentalists. As we see in this footage, the group is planning their biggest and most dangerous action yet to gain attention to their cause. The film seems to bear all of Reichardt's trademarks, setting it apart from last year's The East, which told a similar story.

The revolution begins when Night Moves opens May 30th.

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First Clip from Kelly Reichardt's 'Night Moves' with Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning

It's putting it mildly to say that the thoughtful, considered dramas of Kelly Reichardt aren't everyone's cup of tea. There's a small but extremely loyal audience for her three most notable films; Wendy and Lucy, Old Joy, and Meek's Cutoff, which were never designed to strike at the mainstream in any way. But her latest film Night Moves occupies a unique space for the director, as it deals with eco-terrorism, a premise we saw hit multiplexes recently in The East, and it features bankable stars Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard.

With the film recently debuting in Venice and heading off to Toronto, the first clip has been released to help generate a little buzz. Not a single word of dialogue is spoken in this footage, instead focusing on the three leads as they take in the deforested surroundings. The story, which bears quite resemblance to Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang (there was even a lawsuit), centers on three eco-terrorists with plans of blowing up a dam.

Night Moves has yet to gain distribution, so who knows when it will turn up in theaters. [ThePlaylist]

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Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning in talks for Kelly Reichardt's 'Night Moves'

A few years ago, the idea of Jesse Eisenberg starring in a Kelly Reichardt film would have made absolutely zero sense. After crafting his career playing one particular sort of neurotic, anti-social comedy character, Eisenberg has been venturing out into new things lately. The Social Network took that persona he'd crafted and spun it into darker territory, while the heist flick Now You See Me and Richard Ayoade's Dostoyefsky adaptation of The Double will again have him
venturing into uncharted waters.

His most interesting move yet will come in working with Reichardt, the director behind such neo-realist flicks as Wendy and Lucy, Meek's Cutoff, and Old Joy. Eisenberg is in talks to replace Paul Dano in Night Moves, about three eco-terrorists with plans to blow up a dam. He'll play the ringleader of the group, with Peter Sarsgaard as another member. Dakota Fanning is also in line to join the film in the role that Rooney Mara had once been attached to.

As much as I appreciate Reichardt as a filmmaker, I really only was able to get into Wendy and Lucy. Old Joy was hurt by the two lackluster leads, while Meek's Cutoff is just....well, it's a perfect cure for insomnia. Let's put it that way. So far I like where Night Moves is headed, so hopefully we'll start to hear even more about it soon. [Variety]

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