Catchfire (1990)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Directors:

Dennis Hopper
Alan Smithee

Writers (WGA):

Rachel Kronstadt Mann (story)
Rachel Kronstadt Mann (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 April 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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...

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Hitman | Artist | Greek American | Older Man Younger Woman Relationship

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Backtrack (USA) (TV title (director's cut))
Catchfire (Australia)
Do It the Hard Way

Runtime:

180 min (original cut) | 116 min (director's cut) | 98 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Mack-Taylor Productions

Trivia:

Vestron Pictures were unhappy with director Dennis Hopper's original 180 minute cut of the film that they re-edited it without his knowledge. Hopper was so enraged he sued the company but they had already gone bankrupt. He nevertheless insisted on the anonymous Alan Smithee credit.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Anne and Milo are about to drive off in an SUV, the mountain backdrop is flapping in the wind.

Quotes:

Milo: There's something going on here that I really don't understand, but I like it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Who Is Alan Smithee? (2002) (TV)

Aggressively eccentric

Dennis Hopper's go-for-broke-on-a-slim-budget black comedy about a hit-man falling for his target, a strange but alluring young woman who makes pop art out of neon signs. I enjoyed bits of "Backtrack" (see that, not the butchered European print entitled "Catchfire") such as the gorgeous theater in New Mexico where Jodie Foster hides out or the funny scene where she's pacing around in the bathroom, trying to decide how far she should go with her pervy kidnapper. Unfortunately, the knockabout editing leaves the film feeling somewhat disjointed and the actors are occasionally encouraged to just wing it, but without funny results. I didn't mind the ending--I was hoping for an upbeat one--but these characters don't turn out to be particularly smart people. They're dizzy, lustful little cyphers, and they might've been more engaging if they'd been written with brains.