IMDb > Catchfire (1990)
Catchfire
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Catchfire (1990) More at IMDbPro »

Videos
Catchfire (1990) -- text os

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
5.3/10   1,403 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers (WGA):
Contact:
View company contact information for Catchfire on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 April 1990 (USA) more
Tagline:
When murder is your business, you'd better not fall in love with your work.
Plot:
An artist (Foster) witnesses a Mafia hit and calls the police. At the police station she realizes that the Mafia has a man in the force... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Hit Men Are Really Sensitive Types! more (30 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dennis Hopper ... Milo

Jodie Foster ... Anne Benton
Dean Stockwell ... John Luponi

Vincent Price ... Mr. Avoca

John Turturro ... Pinella

Fred Ward ... Pauling
Julie Adams ... Martha

Tony Sirico ... Greek (as G. Anthony Sirico)

Sy Richardson ... Capt. Walker
Frank Gio ... Frankie
Helena Kallianiotes ... Grace Carelli

John Apicella ... Man at refinery
Clifford Bartholomew ... Fed #2
Kevin Bourland ... Ad agency man
Carl David Burks ... Ad agency man
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Backtrack (USA) (TV title (director's cut))
Catchfire (Australia)
Do It the Hard Way
more
Runtime:
180 min (original cut) | 116 min (director's cut) | 98 min (cut version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Though uncredited, the script was rewritten by Alex Cox and Tod Davies. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Anne and Milo are about to drive off in an SUV, the mountain backdrop is flapping in the wind. more
Quotes:
Milo: There's something going on here that I really don't understand, but I like it. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Love and Death on Long Island (1997) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
13 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
Hit Men Are Really Sensitive Types!, 31 March 2006
6/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

For about a decade, I swear I saw a number of films with the same trait: trying to make a hardened cold-blooded hit man into a sympathetic softie at heart. Oh, filmmakers just love to make evil look good.

Who better to play a twisted wacko than Dennis Hopper? Here, Hopper has the hots for Jodie Foster. To quickly summarize, the film is pretty interesting but with a bad message, as just mentioned. What's really interesting is the cast. Check this out: Hopper, Foster, Joe Pecsi, Fred Ward, Dean Stockwell, Vincent Price, John Turturro and Charlie Sheen. Obviously, this cast is what primarily makes the film fun for a viewing or two. The more you see it, and analyze it, the dumber it gets so don't see this more than twice....maybe once is more than enough. The dialog is pretty dumb in spots.

This is also unique because they can't seem to figure out how long this film runs. When I first saw it on VHS, the box said it was 102 minutes but it was really between 112-115 minutes. When the DVD came out, it also said "102" but only ran 99 minutes. They must have edited out quite a bit of footage from the tape! It was probably a smart move as the second half of the movie dragged too much. However, I've heard of a case like this with tapes and DVDs.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (30 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Catchfire (1990)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Joe Pesci txspurdog
Ridiculous--but a lot of fun HarveyA
Alan Smithee... orangestar
Without Backtrack.... No Sopranos pajode
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Narrow Margin Kill Me Again Fury Prizzi's Honor Down in the Valley
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Action section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.