Catchfire (1990)

A witness to a mob assassination flees for her life from town to town, switching identities, but cannot seem to elude Milo, the chief killer out to get her.

Director:

Dennis Hopper (as Alan Smithee)

Writers:

Rachel Kronstadt Mann (story), Rachel Kronstadt Mann (screenplay)

Stars:

Dennis Hopper, Jodie Foster, Dean Stockwell

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

Storyline

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, so she runs. Trailed by the police, who need her testimony, and a hitman (Hopper) hired by the Mafia, she goes to Mexico, where eventually she meets the hitman, who has become infatuated after studying her art and life to prepare for the hit.

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Plot Keywords:

mafia | hitman | mob | witness | artist | 

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Taglines:

When murder is your business, you'd better not fall in love with your work.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sensuality and violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 April 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Backtrack

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vestron Pictures, Precision Films, Mack-Taylor Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min (director's cut) 98 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bob Dylan has a small cameo as the artist with a chainsaw and an orange hard hat.

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Goofs

The shadow of a cameraman is briefly visible during the opening credits when Anne pulls to the side of the road.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Who Is Alan Smithee? (2002)

User Reviews

Despite everything.....

Despite the shameless overacting by almost the entire cast, and, despite the "chop shop" editing of the DVD, and, despite the two famous actors (Charlie Sheen, Joe Pesci) who yanked their names from the credits, and, despite the randomness and somewhat unbelievability of the script, and, despite the movie's tendency to vacillate wildly between genuine tension, dark humor, titillating nudity, and cartoonish situations, in spite of all these potential faults, "Backtrack" is very watchable. It has fantastic on location photography, that only adds to the enjoyment of a somewhat flawed, nevertheless intriguing, and ultimately entertaining movie. - MERK