BY LEE PFEIFFER
The 1970s was a good time period for Richard Dreyfuss. He made a splash early impression in the decade with "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz", which begat a leading role in "American Graffiti", which begat "Jaws" and then an Oscar-winning turn in "The Goodbye Girl" and then "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Dreyfuss was so popular that no one even noticed his off-beat, X-rated flop "Inserts". He gave another good turn in "The Big Fix", a 1978 updating of the traditional film noir detective movie set in contemporary times. The lighthearted thriller finds Dreyfuss cast as private dick Moses Wine (we love the name!). He's a modern day variation of the loner private eye: he's divorced and has a fractious relationship with his ex (Bonnie Bedelia), whose new live-in lover enjoys humiliating Moses by reminding him he's his former wife's new bed mate. He has two young sons who he spends as much time with as possible and to increase efficiency, he often takes them on his assignments. Despite this modern spin on an old style of hero, Moses has something in common with his predecessors: he's flat broke and living on the razor's edge in an economic sense. One day, a former lover, Lila (Susan Anspach), appears out of nowhere and entices him to take on a case with political overtones. She persuades him by reminding him of his one-time late 1960s roots as a liberal activist- and by appealing to his reawakened sexual interest in her. Lila is associated with the campaign of a progressive gubernatorial candidate named Hawthorne, who is being victimized by bogus flyers and posters being circulated that show Hawthorne embracing Howard Eppis (F. Murray Abraham), a notorious fugitive from justice who is wanted for high profile crimes in the late 1960s. (The character is obviously based on real-life radical Abbie Hoffman.) Lila and Hawthorne's campaign manager, the high strung Sam Sebastian (John Lithgow), maintain that the photo has been doctored and that Hawthorne never met or posed with Eppis. They suspect the forgers are with the campaign of Hawthorne's rival and they hire Moses to help prove it. In order to do so, he must track down Eppis to get the real story. It's a quest that has some deadly surprises associated with it.
Like many a good private eye mystery, "The Big Fix" is complicated and confusing- not "The Big Sleep" extreme of confusing- but confusing enough to make you wonder at times how all the disparate collection of characters might be interconnected. Dreyfuss shines in the role, dispensing the requisite gumshoe wisecracks and proving to be something less than the perfect hero as the plot turns to murder and a major potential terrorist bombing of the L.A. freeway system. Moses is an interesting character especially when his reunion with Lila reawakens his interest in political activism. There is a poignant moment in which he becomes teary-eyed while watching news footage of the protest era. The late 1970s was a sobering time for liberals. President Jimmy Carter's popularity was foundering and the soon-to-be elected Ronald Reagan would usher in a sweeping era of conservative political power. The film was obviously in production before any of this happened but the left wing could see the writing on the wall and their diminishing clout is evident in the frustration of Moses and Lila, who is going through the motions of backing an anemic candidate because he is the lesser of two evils.
The film boasts a witty screenplay by Roger L. Simon, based on one of his own Moses Wine detective novels and the direction by Jeremy Kagan is also spot-on, with Kagan using the L.A. locations to good effect. Neither Kagan or his cinematographer Frank Stanley attempts to provide an innovative look to the film, which is visually unremarkable in contrast to the (then) recently-released film noir homage "Farewell My Lovely". Stanley does, however, manage some impressive aerial shots in the climatic scenes on the L.A. freeway system. There is an interesting supporting cast with John Lithgow especially good in a dramatic role, Fritz Weaver as an eccentric millionaire, Rita Karin in a funny turn as Moses' obnoxious aunt and F. Murray Abraham as Eppis, who turns out to have been living the good life under an assumed name, having foresaken his political ideals of years past. Look out for Mandy Patinkin in his big screen debut as a kooky delivery man in a tiny but amusing role.
The Twilight Time Blu-ray has an excellent transfer and is limited to 3,000 units. The region-free disc provides an isolated track for Bill Conti's jaunty score, a collector's booklet with liner notes by Julie Kirgo and the original trailer. If you like Richard Dreyfuss, this one is a must as it showcases the actor at his best.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER
