The Big Fix (1978)

An ex-'60s radical now working as a private eye is hired by an old flame to investigate a political smear campaign. The case becomes more dangerous as it unfolds.

Director:

Jeremy Kagan (as Jeremy Paul Kagan)

Writers:

Roger L. Simon (screenplay), Roger L. Simon (novel)

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Anspach, Bonnie Bedelia

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Moses Wine
Susan Anspach	...	Lila
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Suzanne
John Lithgow	...	Sam Sebastian
Ofelia Medina	...	Alora
Nicolas Coster	...	Spitzler
F. Murray Abraham	...	Eppis
Fritz Weaver	...	Oscar Procari Sr.
Jorge Cervera Jr.	...	Jorge
Michael Hershewe	...	Jacob
Rita Karin	...	Aunt Sonya
Ron Rifkin	...	Randy
Larry Bishop	...	Wilson
Andrew Bloch	...	Michael Linker
Sidney Clute	...	Mr. Johnson

Storyline

An ex-'60s radical now working as a private eye is hired by an old flame to investigate a political smear campaign. The case becomes more dangerous as it unfolds.

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Plot Keywords:

old flame | stakeout | volkswagen beetle | crowd | interrogation | 

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Taglines:

Richard Dreyfuss as Moses Wine, private detective. So go figure...

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Genres:

Comedy | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

A nagy umbulda

Filming Locations:

Hall of Justice - 211 W. Temple Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Dreyfuss broke his wrist just before shooting was to begin. Rather than delay shooting they worked his cast into the script.

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Quotes

Moses Wine: Bakunin? Bakunin was a terrorist monster. You are not an authority on Bakunin just because you used to date every terrorist in Soviet Russia, that does not make you an authority.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Richard Dreyfuss/Jimmy Buffett, Gary Tigerman (1978)

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Soundtracks

Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Frankie Lymon (as Frankie Lyman)
Courtesy of Roulette Records

User Reviews

The best post-hip film ever produced

The Big Fix is a mystery that does not answer every question that it raises, but it nails the Zeitgeist of the late 60's from a vantage point 10 years later. I have only seen it once, when it first came out and I have looked for it ever since.

The story is slow to develop with Moses Wine (Dreyfuss) having trouble with seemingly every aspect of his life. We learn that he feels displaced in time, and cannot get past the radical time in his life. I and many others have had those same feelings in the 35+ years since.

The sense of confusion and struggle fits exactly the feelings many of us experienced at the time. Taught to respect the police by our Greatest Generation parents, we often found that we were at the top of the police list of suspects for anything from subversion to bad manners and bad dress. The sense of alienation that I felt at the time permeates the viewing. I may have read too much of myself into it; if so, The Big Fix evoked it from my own life.

Best scenes without spoiling the story:

Leon Redbone's "I Wanna Be Seduced" while Moses gets ready for a date with Lila Shay (Anspach).

Moses at the TV station reviewing scenes of past demonstrations; the images are shown projected on his face. No real detail is visible except the tears on his cheeks. Powerful.

The reunion of old friends as they dance around the swimming pool of the house that was built by selling out the old radical values.

Finally, a sense of something incomplete at the end. The mystery solved, but every question not answered. How true to life!