SWITCHBACK
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: *** OUT OF ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 10/31/97 (wide) Running Length: 2:00 MPAA Classification: R (Violence, profanity, nude pinups) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Danny Glover, Dennis Quaid, Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ted Levine,
William Fitchner
Director: Jeb Stuart
Producers: Gale Anne Hurd
Screenplay: Jeb Stuart
Cinematography: Oliver Wood
Music: Basil Poledouris
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
A blizzard of exceptional proportions is bearing down on Colorado, threatening to close all routes in and out of the Rockies while burying the Centennial State beneath feet of snow. Sound familiar? Of course, it's a coincidence that SWITCHBACK, which uses this critical plot device, is opening in the wake of a mammoth late-October snow storm that crippled the American midwest, but it's great timing. Paramount Pictures couldn't have come up with a better release date if they'd planned it.
A baby-sitter caring for a young child is murdered, then the boy is kidnapped from his affluent parents' home. A doctor-turned-drifter wanders through Texas, trying to hitch a ride to Salt Lake City. An ex- railroad worker driving around in a cadillac (with an interior decorated by nude pin-ups) offers him a ride. A serial killer strikes in Amarillo, where the current sheriff is embroiled in a pitched battle for re-election against a powerful opponent. A mysterious FBI agent arrives claiming to be on the killer's trail while he's really pursuing his own agenda. These are the diverse strands that screenwriter Jeb Stuart weaves together into the tapestry of SWITCHBACK, his taut, intelligent directorial debut.
Unlike most thrillers, SWITCHBACK doesn't move at a breakneck pace that camouflages flaws by ceaseless action and non-stop edge-of-the-seat moments. Instead, this film progresses at a more leisurely pace, allowing us time to get to know each of the four main characters: Danny Glover's Bob Goodall, the cadillac driver; Jared Leto's Lane Dixon, the wandering ex-doctor; Dennis Quaid's Frank La Cross, the FBI agent; and R. Lee Ermey's Sheriff Buck Olmstead. By the time the final reel unspools, we've spent time with each of these men and have come to understand a measure of what makes them tick.
That's not to say that there's no tension in SWITCHBACK. Stuart, who wrote THE FUGITIVE and is helming a motion picture for the first time, crafts the movie in a fashion that builds tautness gradually. As the snow storm intensifies and the roads become more treacherous, we have a sense of impending doom and death. Ice, snow, mountainous heights, and racing trains all contribute to SWITCHBACK's growing sense of unease, which culminates in an ending that, sadly, is all-too- routine. But, while the finale is anticlimactic (and even a little silly), it's easily the weakest aspect of an otherwise well-realized narrative.
While SWITCHBACK doesn't boast any "A-line" stars, all of the roles are well-cast and each of the performers does a laudable job. Danny Glover (last seen floundering in GONE FISHIN'), one of Hollywood's most likable actors, plays the kind of helpful, cheerful character that he is often associated with. Dennis Quaid (most recently looking scruffy in GANG RELATED) portrays Frank with a quiet intensity that betrays the anguish and desperation lurking just beneath his icy demeanor. Jared Leto (PREFONTAINE) adds the right note of ambiguity to Lane to make us uncertain about his sincerity and intentions. But, as good as these three are, the scene-stealer is R. Lee Ermey (PREFONTAINE), whose Sheriff Buck Olmstead takes over the screen as one of the year's most memorable supporting characters. Ermey's performance as the moral, practical, cynical law man is nothing short of superb.
SWITCHBACK avoids many of the staple aspects of serial killer movies. First and foremost, this is not a whodunit. While I have gone to great pains not to reveal the killer's identity in this review, it's not much of a secret. There are enough clues littered around that it's possible to finger him twenty minutes into the film, and the truth is explicitly revealed before the halfway point. Secondly, Stuart successfully avoids turning the picture into a routine chase. In fact, for much of the movie, it's not clear exactly how everything is going to fit together in the end. Only as the climax slowly, inexorably approaches does everything become clear. Aside from the obligatory nature of the ending, if there's one complaint I have about SWITCHBACK, it's that there are times when the characters seem too smart -- but that's infinitely better than the alternative.
Like THE GAME and KISS THE GIRLS, SWITCHBACK features an elaborately-structured contest between the hero and the villain. Of these three movies, this one is the best, because it takes the time to develop its characters and doesn't force-feed us increasingly difficult- to-swallow plot twists. As the title implies, the storyline for SWITCHBACK does feature a few unexpected curves, but it doesn't try to dazzle us with narrative contortions. In the end, the film is almost more disturbing than it is exhausting, but you'll leave the theater with a sense of grim satisfaction. For SWITCHBACK, Jeb Stuart can be credited with a job well done.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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