Switchback - Gnadenlose Flucht

I was surprised by this film quite a bit. I thought it would be another mediocre paint-by-the-number genre piece. To my amazement Switchback is a taut and suspenseful film. Its fun to see Danny Glover cast against type. By no means a masterpiece, but well worth watching by thriller fans

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.

Definitely a Good suspense/thriller........should have been rated nearer to an 8 to an 8.5 rating. Danny Glover does an excellent acting job. There are enough turns and twists in the plot to keep one's interests all the way through the movie, in my opinion.

Exciting thriller plenty of suspense and action , dealing with the kidnapping of a FBI agent's son and the desperate chase of the murderer who has him . As a F.B.I. agent named Frank LaCrosse (Dennis Quaid) goes home to encounter has been broken into and his son is missing . He is following the clues of a brutal serial killer whose massacre stretches nearly two years . Frank's relentless pursuit leads to Amarillo , Texas , where two more victims have been found slashed to death and the enigmatic series killer goes on his crime spree . As Frank join forces with the local Sheriff named Buck Olmstead (R. Lee Ermey) and his Deputy Nate Booker (Ted Levine) to search for his suspect , elusive killer , and all of whom investigate the murders before he disappears perhaps forever into the Rocky mountains . Meantime , a drifting previous medic named Lane Dixon (singer/actor Jared Leto) is picked up by an ex-railroad man , an African-American named Bob Goodall .

This is a thrilling film that contains intrigue , noisy action , suspense , chases and plot twists . The highlights result to be the train confrontation and the surprise ending . Interesting and thrilling screenplay by the same director Jeb Stuart who debuts in this enjoyable flick . Intriguing narrative is well developed , as we are interested on the events are we are really cared what happens to this people . 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, and Kevin Bacon in the three main roles . Magnificent acting by the protagonist trio as Dennis Quaid , Jared Leto and Danny Glover . Excellent support such as Ted Levine as Deputy Nate Booker , Leo Burmester as Clyde 'Shorty' Callahan , Walton Goggins as Bud , William Fichtner as Chief Jack McGinnis and special mention to Lee Ermey as Sheriff Buck Olmstead . Furthermore , a rousing and stirring original musical score by Basil Poledouris . Colorful and evocative Cinematography by Oliver Wood . The motion picture was well directed by Jeb Stuart in his film debut . Stuart is a prestigious screenwriter , he wrote successful films such as ¨The fugitive¨, Die Hard¨ , ¨Another 48 hours¨ , ¨Lock up¨ , ¨Fire down below 2¨ and ¨Just cause¨ . He only has directed two films ¨Switchback¨ and ¨Blood done sign my name¨ , both of them failed at box office ; however , ¨Switchback¨ is today pretty well considered . The picture will appeal to Dennis Quaid and Jared Leto fans .

Switchback is one of my favourite 'serial killer vs. cop' thrillers of the 90's, and has seemingly slipped through the cracks these days. It has a special place in my heart, because as a kid my father would take me to his office at work, where I would catch a lot of cool movies on what was back then called 'TBS Superstation'. I once saw a few quick moments of this one, and wondered for years what film it was. A couple years back I tracked this one down because it stars a bunch of actors I really like, and was pleasantly surprised to have my childhood memory jogged, and finally find out what movie I had seen. It's got a solid, able bodied cast that's speckled with both prominent, square jawed leading dudes and some salty character actors as well, to spice things up. The film starts off as jovial Bob Goodall (Danny Glover) picks up mysterious hitchhiker Lane Dixon (Jared Leto) somewhere in the remote northwest. The two strike up a rapport, but we know that one or both will ultimately figure in the other half of the story, where things get decidedly sinister. Many miles away in another state, renegade FBI agent Frank Lacrosse (Dennis Quaid, turning off his smiling charm a quiet, smouldering turn as a guy at the end of his rope) searches for his infant son, who was kidnapped several years before by a dangerous serial killer. His search leads him to Amarillo, Texas, where he's both aided and stymied by local law enforcement. Kind, caring Sheriff Buck Olmstead (R. Lee Ermey, one my favourite character actors) and his deputy Nate Booker (Ted Levine, always reliable) do all they can for him, but in the midst of a reelection, their efforts are somewhat sabotaged by rival candidate Jack McGinnis (William Fichtner), causing delay in the investigation. Meanwhile, Glover and Leto draw closer and closer to a violent conclusion as the tension grows, inevitably tying in with Quaid's story. It's a crisp, no nonsense thriller that wastes no time bounding out of the gate, and yet never feels rushed. As Glover and Leto travel we are treated to some gorgeous, snowy Colorado scenery, captured nicely by DOP Oliver Wood. I revisit this one from time to time and am never let down at its tension, performances and skillful execution. A fair bit overlooked in thriller-ville as well, I might add.