The Big Fix

The Big Fix

Year: 1978

Runtime: 108 mins

Language: English

Director: Jeremy Kagan

ComedyThrillerMystery

Moses Wine, a hard‑boiled private detective, is reluctantly hired by his former college girlfriend when she becomes the target of a vicious political smear campaign. As Wine digs deeper, he uncovers a web of corruption and faces lethal threats while trying to identify the mastermind behind the assault.

The Big Fix (1978) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

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In the sun‑baked corridors of contemporary California politics, the line between idealism and manipulation feels as thin as a campaign flyer. Moses Wine, a former Berkeley radical turned hard‑boiled private investigator, moves through this world with a cynic’s eye and a reporter’s instinct. He’s a man whose past rebellions now sit behind a battered leather chair, his gumshoe instincts still sharp enough to smell a story in the stale air of a political press room. The city itself hums with restless ambition, a backdrop where glossy slogans clash with whispered back‑room deals, and the shadows are populated by the very people who once shouted on protest steps.

When his former college sweetheart, Lila Shay, resurfaces, she brings with her the high‑stakes pressure of a gubernatorial campaign. Lila, now a key operative in the ascent of charismatic hopeful Miles Hawthorne, finds herself the target of a vicious smear campaign that threatens to upend both her career and the candidate’s momentum. She reaches out to Moses not just for protection, but for the kind of truth‑seeking that only a seasoned gumshoe can provide, hoping his outsider perspective will cut through the noise of political spin.

Enter Sam Sebastian, the campaign’s nervous coordinator, whose office feels like a war room where image is weaponized and every new flyer could become a liability. He hires Moses to trace the origin of a bogus advertisement that pairs an aging radical with Hawthorne, a pairing that could derail the race if left unchecked. The assignment drags Moses back into a maze of old connections, underground publications, and the murky underbelly of a political machine that prefers silence to scandal.

Against this backdrop of glossy rallies and whispered conspiracies, Moses must navigate a world where loyalty is fluid and the price of truth can be measured in careers and credibility. The film’s tone blends classic noir grit with modern political thriller tension, offering a richly atmospheric portrait of a man caught between his radical past and the relentless, polished present of a campaign that will stop at nothing to stay ahead.

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 17:59

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Hard-Boiled Political Conspiracies like in The Big Fix

Cynical investigators unravel high-stakes corruption that goes all the way to the top.Discover movies like The Big Fix that blend detective noir with political thrillers. If you enjoyed the tense investigation into a smear campaign and web of corruption, you'll find similar stories of solitary heroes facing down powerful, manipulative systems.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a procedural investigation that starts with a seemingly isolated incident and expands to reveal a vast, systemic conspiracy. The protagonist, typically an outsider, uses their wits and resilience to connect the dots while facing intimidation and threats from a well-protected antagonist.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their fusion of the hard-boiled detective archetype with politically charged corruption plots. They share a cynical tone, a steady pacing that builds paranoia, and a focus on the moral gray areas of power and justice.

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Narrative Summary

The journey is driven by the pursuit of truth, but the resolution confronts the protagonist with the limitations of justice. The ending often involves a moral compromise, revealing that the system is flawed or that the personal price of the investigation was too high for a purely happy conclusion.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their emotionally complex endings that balance resolution with ambiguity. They deliver on the mystery but leave the audience contemplating the cost of truth and the nature of justice, creating a more thoughtful and resonant experience.

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Big Fix

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