SWITCHBACK
RATING: 5.5 / 10 --> Not good enough to recommend
Review Date:
June 26, 1998
Director:
Jeb Stuart
Writer:
Jeb Stuart
Producer:
Gale Anne Hurd
Actors:
Danny Glover as Bob Goodall
Dennis Quaid as Frank LaCrosse
Jared Leto as Lane Dixon
Genre:
Thriller
Year of
Release:
1997
This film is Jeb Stuart's big-screen directorial debut. Before
this, he wrote 48 HOURS (7.5/10), DIE HARD (8/10), LOCK UP
(7.5/10), and THE FUGITIVE (7.5/10), among several other solid
scripts.
PLOT:
This movie is cut into two stories, which alternatively switch
back and forth from one another (hence-Switchback). The first has
an extremely serious FBI agent (Quaid) tracking down a serial
killer, while the second deals with a hitchhiker (Leto) and his
transportation savior (Glover) trekking across the snowy
mountains on their way to Utah. The identity of the killer is
what engulfs the rest of the movie.
CRITIQUE:
Overly long, barely interesting retread of a dozen other serial
killer movies, this picture offers us as much excitement as
Dennis Quaid's stiff demeanor (Dennis might think that his cold
look made him look serious, but really it just made him boring.)
This film was interesting at first, as you try to figure out who
the killer and/or his motivations might be, but eventually (after
the first hour or so), you start to realize that this explanation
will not come until the very end, and by then, you just don't
care anymore. I think I see what the writer was trying to do
here, in that he wanted to keep the audience guessing throughout
the entire movie, but unfortunately, there aren't enough
effective scenes, action sequences, or possible suspects to
really keep it interesting for that duration. In the end, you're
just begging for the damn thing to finish!
And even after its conclusion, I still found myself wondering
about the actual motivations of the serial killer, which were
never really explained, and/or why so much of the story focused
on the local sheriff and not on a more interesting character like
Quaid's wife or something. On top of all that, the typical
Hollywood sugar-pie ending further impressed this script's
unoriginal nature into my negative point of view.
In regards to the acting, I would have to give Danny Glover some
points for taking on this kooky role, but take plenty others away
from Quaid who just hasn't been able to punch in a decent acting
gig since he gave that piss-awful over-performance as Jerry Lee
Lewis in GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! back in 1989. Maybe he should give
up the day job, and allow his wife Meg "the cutest human
being on the face of this Earth" Ryan to support their
family. The man's facial expression didn't change once during
this entire picture.
The atmosphere of the film was actually well manufactured, and
the sights were pretty to behold, but that would be it in regards
to praise for this film. Other than that, I suppose one could get
a little into the movie, if one were really a mystery buff, but
even then, the movie just drags, and drags, and drags. No extreme
graphic violence either. Now if you're looking for an excellent
serial killer mystery with some great action, suspense and
atmosphere, pick up David Fincher's wonderfully rainy SEVEN
(8.5/10) starring the ever-loveable Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.
Little Known Facts:
Originally titled GOING WEST IN AMERICA and GOING WEST.
Dennis
Quaid is the younger
brother of fellow actor Randy Quaid.
Danny
Glover stands
6"4, graduated from San Francisco State College, and
received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts Degree from San
Francisco State University on May 31, 1997. His film debut was in
1979, in the film ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ.
(c) 1998 Berge Garabedian
Movie Reviews by Berge Garabedian