Switchback (1997)

Director:

Jeb Stuart

Writer (WGA):

Jeb Stuart (written by)

Release Date:

31 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The hunter is tracking the killer. But the killer is setting the trap.

Plot:

FBI agent Dennis Quaid tries to catch a serial killer who kidnapped his son.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Train | Twist In The End

Cast

Claudia Stedelin	...	Missy, the Babysitter
Ian Blake Nelson	...	Andy LaCrosse
Brent Hinkley	...	Man on Porch
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sheriff Buck Olmstead
Walton Goggins	...	Bud (as Walt Goggins)
Ted Levine	...	Deputy Nate Booker
Louis Schaefer	...	Sim
William Fichtner	...	Chief Jack McGinnis
Jared Leto	...	Lane Dixon
Robert L. Somers	...	Rancher
Lexie Stuart	...	Ranchers Daughter
Danny Glover	...	Bob Goodall
Ted Markland	...	Bartender
Gregory Scott Cummins	...	Rick
Tommy Puett	...	Ben

Also Known As:

Going West (USA) (working title)
Going West in America (USA) (working title)
Dönüsüm (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Linea di sangue (Italy) [it]
Piste du tueur, La (France) [fr]
Secuestro (Switchback) (Spain) [es]
Switchback - Gnadenlose Flucht (Germany) [de]
Switchback - kilpajuoksu kuoleman kanssa (Finland) [fi]
Um Assassino à Solta (Portugal) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and several views of nude pin-ups.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | Spain:18 | UK:15 (video premiere) | USA:R (certificate #34897)

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Pacific Western

Trivia:

According to an interview with Jeb Stuart in Premiere magazine, he had originally intended to make this movie back in the early 1980's under the title 'Going West in America', with Sidney Poitier, 'Robert Duvall (I)', and Kevin Bacon in the three main roles.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the accident Frank is climbing the hill towards the train. There are several paths of footprints thru the fresh snow. One to the left and another up the path he is climbing.

Quotes:

Sheriff Buck Olmstead: He told the truth, and once you tell the truth, everything else is just cheap whiskey.

Movie Connections:

References Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

More character driven than usual

As a thriller, this had some holes. For starters, Stuart identifies the killer too early (at least, I figured it out), so some tension is robbed). The postcard thing never really made any sense to me. And though it's clear who the killer is, his identity raises questions about how Quaid's son is kept without the authorities knowing. But I can forgive a lot of that because we care about the characters. Quaid, Ermey, and Glover, are three of our finest character actors, and they make us interested in their characters. Also, Ted Levine offers fine support, and Jared Leto creates mystery in his role when there wasn't a whole lot written in.