Switchback

10/31/19971h 58m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ The hunter becomes the hunted. ~

Overview:

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.

Director:

Jeb Stuart

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$37,000,000.00

Revenue:

$6,482,195.00

Key words:

sheriff
texas
colorado
murder
young boy
serial killer
hitchhiker
train
series of murders
election
pursuit
railroad
federal agent
murder investigation
child kidnapping
missing son
winter storm
fbi agent

Cast

Dennis Quaid

~ as ~

FBI Special Agent Frank LaCrosse

Danny Glover

~ as ~

Bob Goodall

R. Lee Ermey

~ as ~

Sheriff Buck Olmstead

Jared Leto

~ as ~

Lane Dixon

Ted Levine

~ as ~

Deputy Nate Booker

William Fichtner

~ as ~

Chief Jack McGinnis

Walton Goggins

~ as ~

Bud (Deputy)

Kevin Cooney

~ as ~

FBI SAC Grant Montgomery

Leo Burmester

~ as ~

Clyde 'Shorty' Callahan

Merle Kennedy

~ as ~

Betty (Store Clerk)

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

John Chard
Written 8 year(s) ago
5
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