Jack's Back

Jack's Back
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rowdy Herrington
Written by	Rowdy Herrington
Produced by	Tim Moore Cassian Elwes
Starring	James Spader Cynthia Gibb
Cinematography	Shelly Johnson
Edited by	Harry B. Miller III
Music by	Danny Di Paola
Production company	Palisades Entertainment
Distributed by	Palisades Entertainment
Release date	May 6, 1988(1988-05-06)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.5 million

Jack's Backis a 1988 Americanmysterythriller filmwritten and directed byRowdy Herringtonin his directorial debut. It starsJames Spaderin a dual role,Cynthia Gibb,Jim Haynie,Robert Picardo,Rod Loomis,and Rex Ryon. It follows aserial killerwho celebratesJack the Ripper's 100th anniversary by committing similar murders.

The film began alimited theatrical releasein the United States on May 6, 1988. It received mixed reviews from critics, while Spader's performance was praised and earned him aSaturn Awardnomination forBest Actor.

Plot

A youngdoctorin Los Angeles named John Wesford becomes a suspect when a series ofJack the Rippercopycat killingsis 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 copycat killer and hypothesize that he killed himself out of guilt.

To the surprise of everybody involved, John Wesford'sidentical twinbrother, Rick, arrives and claims to know his brother did not kill himself because he has seen visions of the true killer. In flashbacks, the viewer sees that Rick Wesford saw Jack Pendler killing his brother. The police humor Rick briefly, but only because his existence calls into question the eyewitness testimony that had put the identical-looking John at the scene of the crime, and Rick's suspicious knowledge of the crime scene (from his visions) make him an attractive suspect himself. Under scrutiny by the police, Rick 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 again sees Pendler attack his brother, but also notices that Pendler's shoes do not match those worn by the copycat 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 the unfortunate twin.

Cast

• James Spaderas John Wesford / Rick Wesford
• Cynthia Gibbas Christine Moscari
• Jim Haynieas Sgt. Gabriel
• Robert Picardoas Dr. Carlos Battera
• Rod Loomisas Dr. Sidney Tannerson
• Rex Ryon as Jack Pendler
• Chris Mulkeyas Scott Morofsky
• Wendell Wright as Capt. Walter Prentis
• John Wesleyas Sam Hilliard
• Bobby Hoseaas Tom Dellerton
• Danitza Kingsley as Denise Johnson
• Anne Betancourt as Mary
• John Sutherlandas Chooch
• Diane Erickson as Andrea Banks
• Sis Greenspon as Martha
• Graham Timbes as Surgeon
• Mario Machadoas Anchorman
• Paul Du Pratt as Collin Marsh
• Rana Ford as Emily Miller
• Kevin Glover as Neil Finchley
• Daniela Petr as Sister
• Shawne Rowe as Helen
• Cassian Elwesas Pimp
• Spencer Clarke as Pimp
• Pola Del Mar as Mrs. Battera
• Kathryn O'Reilly as Hooker
• Brian Bender as Fatman
• Cindy Guyeras Neighbor
• Richard Parker as Reporter
• Frances Fleming as 911 Operator

Release

Theatrical

Jack's Backpremiered inNew York Cityon May 6, 1988, and was released inLos Angelesand otherSouthern Californialocations on May 13, 1988. The film opened inChicagoon June 3, 1988.

Home media

UK-based distributor Slam Dunk Media released the film onDVDin 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.Scream Factoryreleased the film in fall 2015 for the first time onBlu-ray Discin the US, and also included a DVD in the package knowing that the film had never made it to the format in North America.

Reception

Critical response

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,71% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.

Roger Ebertgave the film 3 out of 4 stars and stated, "It's not a great movie, but it's the kind of film that makes you curious about what Harrington will do next." Ebert particularly praised Spader's performance, writing that "But apart from the pleasures of the plot, what makesJack's Backworth seeing is the work of Spader, a young actor who I believe has as much promise as anyone of his generation. "

Odie Henderson opined, "Jack's Backmaintains a giddy storyteller's glee from beginning to end, painting itself into corner after corner, only to escape every time. It works because of its stubborn belief in all aspects of the pulpy yarn it spins. There's real charm in its compulsive desire to tie its preposterous loose ends, no matter how complicated the knots become. "

On the other hand,Caryn JamesofThe New York Timesgave the film a negative review and wrote that it "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."

Michael Wilmington of theLos Angeles Timescalled the film "a psychological shocker that carves up the Jack the Ripper legend in convoluted but predictable ways" and wrote that "Herrington gets stuck in his triple-twists, stock characters, chases and movie-movie plotting." Wilmington also stated, "But beyond Spader's performance, the only really interesting thing aboutJack's Backis the lighting. "

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
1990	16th Saturn Awards	Best Actor	James Spader	Nominated

Soundtrack and film's title

Originally the director wanted to call the filmRed Rainand have thesong of the same nameby 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 toJack's Backas a result.

External links

• Jack's BackatIMDb
• Jack's BackatAllMovie