Josh (Jesse Eisenberg) and Dena (Dakota Fanning) are radical environmentalists. They buy a boat called "Night Moves". They along with troubled ex-Marine Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard) plan to bomb a dam. They buy a large quantity of fertilizer, make their bomb and deliver it on the boat.

This is a slow, methodical movie. There are so many empty spaces. It's a two hour movie that could easily be squeezed in half. It's just so very slow. Everybody is doing mainly quiet acting. Some could see in it as deep emotional acting. They can read so much into their quietness. I can only read it as a lack of dialog. There are some emotional content in the second half but it's not enough.

Night Moves is a slow burner. A plodding film with many a lingering shot, padded scenes and still a lot that is left unsaid.

Three environmental activists plan to blow up a dam. Now there are a lot of benefits in having a dam but building one can create chaos, sometimes whole towns or villages have to be relocated. Of course to an environmentalist, dams can also lead to unnecessary wastage of precious natural resources.

Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning appear to be a couple but she is a rich kid along for the ride and to make a point. They work in some gardening co-op.

Peter Sarsgaard plays the accomplice who comes up with the mechanics of the scheme to blow up the dam. Although there is some antagonism between Fanning and him we later hear them seemingly have sex.

After the explosion, consciences are not eased as an innocent camper is killed and Fanning keeps contacting Sarsgaard putting the trio at risk of being caught.

Now earlier in the film we have scene with a pregnant deer which might explain what later happens. Was Fanning pregnant by Sarsgaard and this was the reason she was contacting him.

When Sarsgaard informed Eisenberg about Fanning's phone calls, did he on purpose fail to give the whole picture on the basis that he assumes that Eisenberg will properly deal with a supposed loose cannon like Fanning?

The film does not tell you all this. You have to read the forum pages on IMDb. Therefore the director does not spell out the plot but he also fails to entertain you.

Josh (Jesse Eisenberg) is a brooding young man who works on a farm. One night when he and Dena (Dakota Fanning) attend a film on how man is destroying the earth, they get inspired to take action...destroy the local hydro-electric dam because it blocks the salmon. Josh recruits his explosive Marine buddy Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard) to join the mayhem.

While the plan is well thought out, the over-all picture left much to be desired. Hydro-electric is a preferred renewable to fossil fuels, but its all about the fish. We never see the actual explosion, but the group has to deal with the consequences of their action.

The scenery is drab brown and rather lifeless. The characters are not likeable and are rather boring. The dialogue had no zip. The theme of the film is...? Paranoia will destroya? You got to break a few eggs to make real mayonnaise?

I expected a better film from this cast.