Back home

Switchback

247 votes

Producing House

After FBI agent Frank Lacrosse believes his son was kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, he travels to Amarillo, Texas, where he believes the murderer is in hiding. Although officially taken off the case because of its personal significance to him, Frank continues to pursue the killer, causing concern for local sheriff Buck Olmstead. When another victim pops up at a nearby car garage, Frank knows that he is as close as he'll ever be to tracking down the elusive killer.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1997-10-31

Runtime: 118 mins

Director: Jeb Stuart

Spoken language: English

Genres: Thriller, Mystery

Original title: Switchback

Production Companies: Rysher Entertainment, Pacific Western, Paramount Pictures

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

J

John Chard
Cause he told the truth, and once you've heard the truth, everything else is just cheap whiskey. Switchback is written and directed by Jeb Stuart. It stars Dennis Quaid, Danny Glover, Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ted Levine and William Fitchner. Music is by Basil Poledouris and cinematography by Oliver Wood. FBI agent Frank LaCrosse (Quaid) is tracking a serial killer who he believes kidnapped his young son. Switchback is a standard serial killer based thriller that flopped at the box office. It's not a bad film but it never delivers on its potential. The location travelogue of the story is most impressive, especially the last third once we get to the snowy mountains of Colorado, but it's the scenery that grips and holds the attention more than the plot. The red herrings have interest value enough for us to stay with what is at just under two hours a long film, but resolutions are either anti climatic or too obvious. Cast are a mixed bag, with Quaid just okay as the perpetually bleak protag and Glover sadly winding out as miscast once film shows its hands. Thankfully Leto and Ermey are on hand to keep a rein on things, playing the intended thriller tone just right as per their respective characters. It's perhaps unlucky to have followed far superior/intelligent serial killer based thrillers, rendering it then and now as weak offerings. It's not the dead on stinker the box office suggests, and trimmed of 20 minutes it would have been a decent time waster, but as it is it plays out as unoriginal and lacking in directorial focus. 5/10
2017-02-04

Recommendations

Cloak Without Dagger
3.6

Cloak Without Dagger

1956-05-31

A woman reporter discovers a former lover and intelligence officer during WWII apparently working as

K-PAX
3.6

K-PAX

2001-10-26

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tri

The Interpreter
3.2

The Interpreter

2005-04-08

After Silvia Broome, an interpreter at United Nations headquarters, overhears plans of an assassinat

Minority Report
3.7

Minority Report

2002-06-20

John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes b

The Good German
2.9

The Good German

2006-12-15

An American journalist arrives in Berlin just after the end of World War Two. He becomes involved in

Lucky Number Slevin
3.7

Lucky Number Slevin

2006-02-24

Slevin is mistakenly put in the middle of a personal war between the city’s biggest criminal bosses.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
3.2

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

2014-08-20

Some of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.

Live and Let Die
3.3

Live and Let Die

1973-06-27

James Bond must investigate a mysterious murder case of a British agent in New Orleans. Soon he find

Cube
3.4

Cube

1998-07-11

A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a maze-like prison. It soon becomes clear that each

Tough Enough
3.4

Tough Enough

2006-03-09

From the youth directed novel of the same name by Greogor Tressnow comes a film by Detlev Buck that

Cube Zero
2.8

Cube Zero

2004-10-10

A young programmer whose job is to watch over the reality-warping Cube defies orders to rescue an in

Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
2.6

Aliens vs Predator: Requiem

2007-12-25

After a horrifying PredAlien crash-lands near a small Colorado town, killing everyone it encounters

The Hole
3.1

The Hole

2001-04-20

Four teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed under

Shaft
3

Shaft

2000-06-15

New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But t

Wild at Heart
3.5

Wild at Heart

1990-08-17

Young lovers Sailor and Lula hit the road to start a new life together away from the wrath of Lula’s

Killing Zoe
3.1

Killing Zoe

1993-10-01

Zed is an American vault-cracker who travels to Paris to meet up with his old friend Eric. Eric and

Scoop
3.3

Scoop

2006-07-27

An American journalism student in London scoops a big story, and begins an affair with an aristocrat

Dial M for Murder
4

Dial M for Murder

1954-05-29

When her American lover visits London, a wealthy woman’s jealous husband hatches a plan to murder he

Balearic Caper
2.2

Balearic Caper

1966-03-10

A scepter is stolen, and it's hunted for by various groups of international robbers and spies, for v

Running Out of Time
3.6

Running Out of Time

1999-09-23

Police inspector and excellent hostage negotiator Ho Sheung-Sang finds himself in over his head when