My thought process while experiencing this movie:

I'm now going to watch this movie directed by Dennis Hopper and and starring Jodie Foster, which is a strange paring.

During credits: Dick Clark produced this movie?!

Five minutes later: Oh, it's Dean Stockwell.

Five minutes later: Joe Pesci is in this?

Five minutes later: Charlie Sheen is in this?! And he's dating Jodie Foster?

Five minutes later: John Turturro is in this?!

Five minutes later: Oh, hey Fred Ward.

Five minutes later: Dennis Hopper finally.

Five minutes later: Vincent Price is in this?! What in the fuck?

Five minutes later: Bob Dylan is in this movie?! Who the hell cast this thing?

Five minutes later: John Turturro's shoes are weirdly distracting.…

For the 45 minutes or so of this 1990 Dennis Hopper-directed thriller I thought I'd found a lost gem. It's stylishly shot by Ed Lachmann and the cast ranges from Vincent Price to Charlie Sheen to Bob Dylan. (And Dick Clark is a producer.) But beyond that it seems to have something on its mind for a while. Jodie Foster plays an artist who witnesses a mob hit then lams it from both the bad guys and the police, whom she rightly feels can't protect her. She vanishes effectively, but a hit man (Hopper) gets inside her head from a distance in an attempt to track her down. Her art gets to him and the film becomes a study of…

Review also available on my blog site with pics, gifs, vids, and other stuff to improve the literal art quality. Plus a gif of a dinosaur somersault.

Introduction

backtrack (verb):
1. To go back over the course by which one has come.
2. To return to a previous point or subject.
3. To reverse one’s position or policy.
— The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

This is one of those films not many know about, and if they do know about it they’re probably only aware of the theatrical cut. Upon my first viewing, that’s the version I saw. Sometimes the film goes by the alternative title Catch Fire, other times it goes by the intended…

Watched as BackTrack, Dennis Hopper's director's cut, on Avid Home Entertainment VHS.

While most of the genre components here feel standard and expected, the way they are presented makes this something truly unique. It's a mob and cop movie with arthouse temperment and flourishes. When I first saw the cast I didn't believe it. Most of the roles are miniscule but I still think it counts for something.

Having spent a lot of time with Hopper over the weekend, I feel like the name "The American Dreamer" is very apt, even after his initial blaze of glory during which it was coined. Having found acclaim his first time out leading to an over indulgent sophomore venture where ideas literally trumped…

I reviewed the Vestron recut of BACKTRACK (retitled CATCHFIRE) here:
letterboxd.com/dragon_needles/film/catchfire/

This is the director's cut prepared by Dennis Hopper for broadcast on Showtime (and later released on VHS), which runs 17 minutes longer and bears the original title. Hopper's cut gives the movie more room to breathe but also begins Anne's transition earlier. There is still not enough material here to make that change more believable, but additional time is devoted to the shifts in the power dynamic. Vestron no doubt deleted these moments as they make Anne's later actions scene even more inexplicable on a story level but removing the psychological and emotional nuances doesn't help either. The music is much darker and often discordant in Hopper's cut;…

After witnessing a mob hit that could finger Mafia boss Carelli (an uncredited Joe Pesci), LED artist Anne Benton (Jodie Foster) refuses to be put into the witness protection program. Carelli dispatches ace hitman Milo (Dennis Hopper, who also directed) to kill Anne, but he becomes obsessed with her and spares the woman's life. They go on the run together, and Anne gradually warms to Milo. Unfortunately, the mob now wants both of them exterminated.

BACKTRACK boasts an amazing supporting lineup of the director's actor buddies, though they are not always well cast (Vincent Price as a don?). Sporting a distractingly awful Noo Yawk accent, Hopper gives his usual twitchy performance, though in a somewhat lower register, while Foster does…

For Ed Lachman completionists ONLY! Spoilers included:

Backtrack, also called Catchfire (1990), directed, very poorly, by Dennis Hopper. Saving grace: filmed by Ed Lachman.
Imagine the ensemble cast of: Dennis Hopper (at his absolute worst), Jodie Foster, Dean Stockwell, Vincent Price, John Turturro, Bob Dylan, Fred Ward, Charlie Sheen, pre-gray Tony Sirico and an uncredited Joe Pesci (in more than just a bit part).
If it sounds too good (or whatever) to be true, rest assured, it is.
Early on, the production design is real cool, looking a bit like Less Than Zero. And throughout, the cinematography is great, as Lachman can do no wrong.
But Hopper does, oh does he ever. His acting is horrible as he plays a…