Inside Moves (1980)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Absolutely Fantastic

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Roary (John Savage) jumps out of a highrise in a suicide attempt. He barely survives and ends up as a cripple in a poor Oakland neighborhood. He starts going to a local bar where Jerry Maxwell (David Morse) is the friendly bartender. It's a place where regulars gather and play cards. Jerry is a Warriors fan bringing Roary to a game. Jerry challenges player Alvin Martin in an one-on-one game and almost wins. The bar is in danger of closing and Roary buy it. Jerry is frustrated with flighty girlfriend Anne and his inability to get an operation to fix his leg. Lucius beats up Jerry and Anne goes off with him. Alvin Martin gets a $3 million contract and offers to lend money for Jerry's operation. Roary falls for waitress Louise (Diana Scarwid).Richard Donner directs this movie of a man regaining his life. John Savage is a solid base. David Morse shines in a something more than a supporting role. The story can ramble on a little because there is no set direction for the plot. It has that 70s feel of an undefined life course. There are some solid performances not just from the two men and Scarwid.

the quintessential slice of life movie that no one makes anymore easily Mr Donner's finest film even though he has had much more successful films financially in my humble opinion he has never made a better film the acting is great with possible exception of ms scarwid who is adequate but everyone else is A-plus all the way would recommend this film to any one of any age any race if you are human this is a movie for you a real lost classic not getting attention it deserves Mr savage is every bit the equal of deniro or pacino was never given vehicle to showcase his talent but is really great here not to be missed for any fan of great acting

Sweet little movie which could've easily been titled "Max's Bar". It stars John Saxon as a badly damaged man, Roary, whose suicide attempt left his body crippled in that his back is twisted(Saxon's ability to convince us wholeheartedly of this is a major accomplishment he desires mucho accolades)affecting the way he walks. He enters into a bar, meeting a bartender named Jerry(David Morse) with a bum knee, linked to a junk whore named Anne(Amy Wright). With 10 grand, Roary sees fit to use his cash to help pay of the debt owed on Max's Bar, and with his assistance, the business takes off. Jerry, his mouth getting the best of him, challenges a star basketball player for the Golden State Warriors, Alvin Martin(Harold Sylvester), to a round of ball and almost beats him, setting off a sequence of events he couldn't have dreamed of..thanks to Roary, who becomes Jerry's loyal and honorable pal. Jerry's Achilles' heel is Anne who returns to him after a stint with a vicious pimp, Lucius(Tony Burton). Lucius and his goons batter Jerry, with Anne returning to him. So Jerry gives up on life and it's to Roary's credit that he is snapped out of his depression and given a new lease..a talk with Alvin, and Roary might help Jerry follow a dream.Richard Donner's Inside Moves is about dreams, and not forgetting those who helped you along the way. With such a wonderful cast, including a superb supporting group, bar loungers who share a common cordial friendship with each other, such as Bill Henderson(..as wheel-chair bound Blue Lewis), Stinky(Bert Remsen, as the blind joker, always tickling the funny bones of his gang), and Wings(Harold Russel, the vocal leader of the boys, with no hands..many will remember him from The Best Years of Our Lives), I couldn't help but embrace them. Steve Kahan is Donner regular, Burt, a bartender/waiter(who later was the boss of Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon movies)and Jack O'Leary is bar owner Max, who wouldn't increase taxes on his customers which caused his financial troubles.This is the kind of movie which tugs on the heartstrings, it's a gentle, caring film without a bad bone in it's body. Tony Burton's pimp creates the only real violence in the movie, and he's drawn into this story's little setting by good-for-nothing Anne, who leeches on naive Jerry for drug money. The camaraderie among the cast is genuine and pleasant. The budding romance between Roary and a waitress, Louise(..portrayed by Diana Scarwid) only injects more sparks into an already luminous film. Good use of street locations, one of Richard Donner's most off-beat and smaller scaled pictures..very invested in the characters. While I've always responded in kind to Donner's explosive actioners, it's nice to know he could make such an endearing film. Any other time and John Saxon's character would've been exploited as an object of ridicule or comedy. I can't believe I have never even heard of this movie before..go figure. Saxon is the heart and soul of the movie and his work with Scarwid and Morse simply works wonders.

I saw this movie when we first got cable in the early 80's. It really got my attention with the jarring beginning, and the subsequent treatment of the initial character and the bar acquaintances who soon become his support and "family". Great ensemble cast, great soundtrack( I have it on LP), great story. You'll recognize several faces of character actors and some who went on to the small screen for bigger parts. The story doesn't protect the viewer from the ugliness of the characters' lives, though it does let us see the joy and hope the have in the less-than-ideal lives they must live. Some might classify the ending as "hokey", but I prefer to see it as "satisfying".