Jack's Back: Difference between revisions
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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A young [[Physician|doctor]] in Los Angeles becomes a suspect when a series of [[Jack the Ripper]] [[copycat crime|copycat killings]] is committed. |
A young [[Physician|doctor]] in Los Angeles named John Wesford becomes a suspect when a series of [[Jack the Ripper]] [[copycat crime|copycat killings]] is committed. He and another young doctor (Jack Pendler) are at the scene of the final crime in the series; they know each other because they both work for the same medical unit, reporting to the abusive Dr. Sidney Tannerson. Pendler seems to realize that John Wesford's testimony will likely lead to his being arrested as the killer, and in an ambiguously staged scene, murders him, staging the scene to resemble a suicide. The police quickly name John Wesford as the killer and assert that he killed himself out of guilt. |
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To the surprise of everybody involved, John Wesford's [[identical twin]] brother, Rick, arrives and claims to have seen visions of the true killer. The police humor him briefly, but only because his existence calls into question the eyewitness testimony that had put John at the scene of the crime, and his knowledge of the crime scene (from his visions) make him an attractive suspect himself. Despite their suspicions, he allies himself with another of his brother's colleagues, Dr. Chris Moscari, and carries out his own investigation. He successfully identifies, tracks down, and confronts Pendler, who attacks him and is arrested. Pendler is in some regards an excellent suspect — physical evidence puts him at the scene of the final murder. But in other regards he is a terrible one, not matching known characteristics or habits of the killer. |
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Rick continues to dream about his brother's murder and asks the police psychologist to hypnotize him to clarify these visions. In the refined vision he continues to see Pendler attack his brother, but also notices that Pendler's shoes do not match those worn by the killer, and that Dr. Tannerson had been at the scene. He intuits that Tannerson will next attack Dr. Moscari and speeds to her house, attracting a string of police cars with his reckless driving. Moscari survives and Rick avenges his brother's death by killing Tannerson, who (it is implied) had manipulated Pendler into murdering him. |
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==Cast and characters== |
==Cast and characters== |
Revision as of 00:14, 5 May 2022
Jack's Back | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Rowdy Herrington |
Written by | Rowdy Herrington |
Produced by | Cassian Elwes Tim Moore |
Starring | James Spader Cynthia Gibb Robert Picardo |
Cinematography | Shelly Johnson |
Edited by | Harry B. Miller III |
Music by | Danny Di Paola |
Production company | Cinema Group |
Distributed by | Palisades Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.5 million[1] |
Box office | $492,519 (USA) |
Jack's Back is a 1988 crime thriller horror film[2] written and directed by Rowdy Herrington and starring James Spader and Cynthia Gibb.
Plot
A young doctor in Los Angeles named John Wesford becomes a suspect when a series of Jack the Ripper copycat killings is committed. He and another young doctor (Jack Pendler) are at the scene of the final crime in the series; they know each other because they both work for the same medical unit, reporting to the abusive Dr. Sidney Tannerson. Pendler seems to realize that John Wesford's testimony will likely lead to his being arrested as the killer, and in an ambiguously staged scene, murders him, staging the scene to resemble a suicide. The police quickly name John Wesford as the killer and assert that he killed himself out of guilt.
To the surprise of everybody involved, John Wesford's identical twin brother, Rick, arrives and claims to have seen visions of the true killer. The police humor him briefly, but only because his existence calls into question the eyewitness testimony that had put John at the scene of the crime, and his knowledge of the crime scene (from his visions) make him an attractive suspect himself. Despite their suspicions, he allies himself with another of his brother's colleagues, Dr. Chris Moscari, and carries out his own investigation. He successfully identifies, tracks down, and confronts Pendler, who attacks him and is arrested. Pendler is in some regards an excellent suspect — physical evidence puts him at the scene of the final murder. But in other regards he is a terrible one, not matching known characteristics or habits of the killer.
Rick continues to dream about his brother's murder and asks the police psychologist to hypnotize him to clarify these visions. In the refined vision he continues to see Pendler attack his brother, but also notices that Pendler's shoes do not match those worn by the killer, and that Dr. Tannerson had been at the scene. He intuits that Tannerson will next attack Dr. Moscari and speeds to her house, attracting a string of police cars with his reckless driving. Moscari survives and Rick avenges his brother's death by killing Tannerson, who (it is implied) had manipulated Pendler into murdering him.
Cast and characters
- James Spader as John/Rick Wesford
- Cynthia Gibb as Chris Moscari
- Jim Haynie as Sgt. Gabriel
- Robert Picardo as Dr. Carlos Battera
- Rod Loomis as Dr. Sidney Tannerson
- Rex Ryon as Jack Pendler
- Chris Mulkey as Scott Morofsky
- Mario Machado as Anchorman
- Danitza Kingsley as Denise Johnson
Reception
The film got a negative review in The New York Times, which read in part "Jack's Back, which opens today at the Cine 1 and other theaters, is so dull it leaves you plenty of time to marvel at how a plot can be this rickety, how a production can look this shabby, and how the first-time writer and director Rowdy Herrington could borrow a story with so relentless a grip on our imaginations and in no time at all declaw it."[3]
Conversely, both Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert gave it a thumbs up with Siskel declaring that it was a most impressive debut for Rowdy Herrington, as it was for Spader and Gibb.[4] Jack's Back has a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 7 critics.[5]
Home media
UK-based distributor Slam Dunk Media released the film on DVD in May 2007 in 1.33:1 full frame format. It is the only DVD release to date in that area. It was available on Netflix video streaming service in SD widescreen format.[6] Scream Factory released the film in fall 2015 for the first time on Blu-ray Disc in the US, and also included a DVD in the package knowing that the film had never made it to the format in North America.[7]
Soundtrack and film's title
Originally the director wanted to call the film Red Rain and have the song of the same name by Peter Gabriel playing as the opening credits theme. However the budget didn't allow for licensing the song, and so instead Paul Saax was brought on board to co-write a new theme "Red Harvest". The movie name was changed to Jack's Back as a result.[8]
References
- ^ "AFI|Catalog".
- ^ "Jack's Back (1988)". IMDb.
- ^ James, Caryn (6 May 1988). "Review/Film; The Ripper's Return (Published 1988)". The New York Times.
- ^ "- YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01.
- ^ "Jack's Back (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- ^ Cooper, Patrick (March 13, 2015). "Scream Factory Announces a Ton of New Blu-Rays!".
- ^ Steve Barton (13 March 2015). "Scream Factory Details Scarecrows Release; Announces Nomads, Jack's Back, Ghost Town and More!". Dread Central.
- ^ "THE SONGS THAT SCREAM TERROR: TEN GREAT SONGS FROM HORROR FILMS". Daily Grindhouse. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
External links
- 1988 films
- 1988 directorial debut films
- 1988 horror films
- 1988 independent films
- 1980s English-language films
- 1980s slasher films
- 1980s thriller films
- American films
- American horror thriller films
- American independent films
- American mystery films
- American serial killer films
- American slasher films
- Films about Jack the Ripper
- Films about twin brothers
- Films directed by Rowdy Herrington
- Films set in Los Angeles
- Films shot in Los Angeles
- 1980s horror film stubs