source: Switchback

Trailer—Switchback

Switchback

Great reviews here on IMDB. Want to add that William Fitchner, in a supporting role, is excellent playing what I call a crossover character (someone who, unexpectedly, switches sides). Fitchner was terrific in the mini-series CROSSING LINES. R Lee Ermey, the Sheriff, plays another crossover character. He helps Dennis Quaid, an FBI agent hunting a mysterious serial killer. Danny Glover also switches over to help Jared Leto, an enigmatic drifter. Lots of twists and turns. Fine acting. The villain is revealed in stages. Enjoy

I mostly liked "Switchback", but the last half hour or so seemed kind of anticlimactic, as if suddenly the truth gets revealed and then nothing more can happen. Granted, they did have a lot of tricks up to that point, but I still would have preferred a bigger surprise at the end. Nevertheless, Dennis Quaid, Danny Glover, Jared Leto and R. Lee Ermey do well in their roles. I kind of wish that more movies took place in the Rocky Mountains region (the most famous one is "The Shining", but another good one is "Sunshine Cleaning"). Anyway, an OK movie, but I would have preferred a stronger ending. PS: Maggie Roswell, who plays Fae, is best known as one of the voices on "The Simpsons".

An FBI agent (Dennis Quaid) tries to catch a serial killer (Danny Glover) who kidnapped his son. "Switchback" received negative reviews from critics and holds a 32% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews. The film bombed at the box office, grossing just $6 million domestically off a budget of $38 million. This criticism is wrong, and I suspect if they were to reflect now (2015) they might be more positive. This is a strong cat-and-mouse thriller that has a nice change of pace: a serial killer who happens to be black. This defies the stereotype, and allows him to get away with much more while on the run. Very clever. We also have some actors who were not as big then as they are now. Jared Leto's career has only gone up, and Ted Levine really made a name for himself with "Monk" in 2002. (Yes, he had already broken out with "Silence of the Lambs", but "Monk" is arguably even bigger.)

Switchback was an enjoyable mystery/thriller with a few nice action sequences. Quaid's character seemed a bit cliche to me (like he was impersonating a dour Harrison Ford) but Glover's character was unique and interesting. This movie didn't have a lot of surprises or plot twists, but director Jeb Stuart managed to keep my interest high by using well drawn and likeable characters and by keeping a lot of balls in the air from the beginning of the movie. With the exception of the serial killer himself, the conflicting motivations of the characters played well with the story and provided plenty of tension. I especially enjoyed the portrayal of the serial killer himself. This is possibly the first movie I've seen where the killer had a human face and was not a psycho mastermind genius or a low-life loner with a chip the size of Manhattan on his shoulder.

this is by far a very differemt serial killer movie than other ones I've seen. it really makes you fall in love with or hate the characters. i have to say these days there are a lot of serial killer films , that people have to be killed in, but when they do die we neither feel happy or sad towards their deaths. all the parts were played well and the casting was well chosen. there's not many twist or unexpected stuff at the end cause they were all revealed in the middle og the film , and that disappointed me cause i like to keep guessing the killer towards the film. its a for sure recommendation. WATCH IT!! 7.6/10

I remember the first time i see this and become one of my favorites movies of the 90's. I know what your thinking we already see this movie before but the big difference here is the actors,the direction and of course the script. Dennis Quaid,Danny Glover,Jared Leto and R lee Ermey are the powerful cast of this movie. The direction of Jeb Stuart is more than incredible he never leave you to take a breath and give you the enough suspense to keep stuck to the TV for almost 2 hours. The script is clever,intelligent and very very entertainment you never gonna yawn in all movie. I am glad to see this movie years ago and i always recommended who haven't see it...Like one of the best thrillers of the 90's.

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.