Catchfire

Pretty weird and quirky action-thriller-romance-comedy that features over-the-top acting from both Hopper and Foster. Kind of awkward scenes and parts are on the slow side, however while Hopper isn't as insane compared with in other roles, there were a few weird moments like playing the saxophone. Not bad and from what I read, an improvement over the theatrical version that Vestron heavily edited without Hopper's knowledge (and was credited as Alan Smithee). I think this would play great in a group setting as there are some good-bad scenes. 2.75/5

Amusing crime thriller road trip with Dennis Hopper and Jodie Foster

A hitman for the mob in Western America (Hopper) falls for his prey (Foster) and they find themselves running from both the mob and law enforcement.

“Backtrack” was shot in 1988 and originally released in Europe as “Catchfire” in 1990, but the director/star disowned it and credited the film to Alan Smithee. So, he did a Director’s Cut that was released to cable in 1991, retitled “Backtrack.” It was influenced by Eastwood’s “The Gauntlet” from a dozen years earlier. While it’s superior to Hopper’s contemporaneous “The Hot Spot,” it’s not as effective as his “Chasers” (1994).

Yet it’s worthwhile for the great cast (also including Vincent Price, Joe Pesci, Charlie Sheen, Dean Stockwell and several other recognizable faces), not to mention Jodie in her physical prime. In other words, she never looked better.

The version I saw runs 1 hour, 39 minutes, but there’s a version that runs 1 hour, 56 minutes (the Director’s Cut) and, supposedly, a 3-hour version. It was shot in the Los Angeles area, Seattle and New Mexico (Albuquerque, Lindrith, Lamy, Taos, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and Ranchos de Taos).

GRADE: B/B-