I recall seeing this quirky sleeper gem in 1980 on HBO when I was about 13 and was enthralled with the unique story about a man named Roary (John Savage, best known for his superb similar work in THE DEER HUNTER, and a highly underrated actor)whose failure at suicide in a freefall off a 10 story building in LA leads to a painful recovery and his gradual acceptance of a second chance at life. He discovers it at Max's Bar, a dive that houses many handicapped denizens, misfits and colorful types including a trio of elderly men (veteran character actors Bill Henderson, Bert Remsen and Academy Award winner Harold Russell, who won a special Oscar for THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, a WWII vet who lost both his hands with hooks for substitutes); an affable bartender named Jerry (David Morse in one of his earliest and memorable turns) who has a lame leg as well; and a beautiful waitress named Louise (Diana Scarwid, who would gain an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress). It is here that Roary eventually comes out of his shell, finds a best friend in Jerry and a possible soulmate in Louise, and more importantly a new outlook on life itself.

Directed with aplomb, reassurance and tender care by veteran helmsman Richard Donner (LETHAL WEAPON, THE OMEN, SUPERMAN, etc.) the film unspools very gradually and certain likelihoods are just accustomed for the way the story unfolds (i.e. characters pop up out of nowhere with no backgrounds on them but just like life, accepted as part of the fabric of society). Based on a novel by Tony Walton and adapted superbly with finesse, wit and humanity by scribe team Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson (who would go on to his own acclaim as an Oscar winning filmmaker for RAIN MAN), the movie is a minor miracle in acting, directing and screen writing. Bare bones for all the world to see but a precious heart at its center with flawless performances by its three leads and some truly heart-wrenching yet not maudlin moments (Savage's climactic confrontation with both Morse and Scarwid are for the film vault and should be viewed by students of acting to see what true acting really is!)

It made my heart warm to hear this incredible film was finally coming out on DVD and I can truly say it was my pleasure to re-experience this true original film that has echoes of Hal Ashby and any other 1970's 'golden age' film of its waning era on the cusp of a new decade that would more or less push nuance aside. *** One last personal note: when I first saw this with my good friend and neighbor Joe Hetro, we would always greet each other with the "Hey – Jer-REE!" fist pump ; a fine memory of my childhood.

After Harold Russell, a veteran of World War II who ended up taking up an acting role in The Best Years of Our Lives, got his two Oscars, the director who helped him get those-William Wyler-told him there's not many roles for someone in his condition-he had hooks for hands-so he told him to go to school for another career. Eventually, Harold did and went on to be involved in AMVETS as well as serve on as chairman of the President's Committee on Hiring the Handicapped. But thirty-four years after leaving movies, he was persuaded to appear in Richard Donner's film, Inside Moves. He accepted and would eventually make a few TV guest appearances and at least one more movie. In this one, he's one of several patrons of a bar called Max's of which another customer there is one Roary (John Savage) who ends up there after a failed suicide attempt at the beginning of this film. One of the workers there is Jerry (David Morse) who befriends Roary. I should also mention that Jerry has a girlfriend named Anne (Amy Wright) and there's also a waitress named Louise (Diana Scarwid who got an Oscar nomination). I don't want to say anymore except this was quite funny and a little touching concerning story and certain actions and there's hardly any real flaws as far as I was concerned. Oh, and Harold Russell fit quite nicely in with the rest of the cast. So on that note, I recommend Inside Moves.

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.