Jack's Back (1988)

A serial killer in Los Angeles celebrates Jack the Ripper's 100th birthday by committing similar murders and only one has a chance of stopping him.

Director:

Rowdy Herrington

Writer:

Rowdy Herrington

Stars:

James Spader, Cynthia Gibb, Jim Haynie

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Spader	...	John / Rick Wesford
Cynthia Gibb	...	Chris Moscari
Jim Haynie	...	Sgt. Gabriel
Robert Picardo	...	Dr. Carlos Battera
Rod Loomis	...	Dr. Sidney Tannerson
Rex Ryon	...	Jack Pendler
Chris Mulkey	...	Scott Morofsky
Wendell Wright	...	Capt. Walter Prentis
John Wesley	...	Sam Hilliard
Bobby Hosea	...	Tom Dellerton
Danitza Kingsley	...	Denise Johnson
Anne Betancourt	...	Mary
Diane Erickson	...	Andrea Banks
Sis Greenspon	...	Martha
Graham Timbes	...	Surgeon

Storyline

A young doctor is suspected when a series of Jack the Ripper copycat killings is committed. However, when the doctor himself is murdered, his identical twin brother claims to have seen visions of the true killer.

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Plot Keywords:

woman in jeopardy | murder of a prostitute | female removes her clothes | psychopathic killer | strip club owner | 

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Taglines:

One hundred years ago, in the city of London, in the East-End slum of Whitechapel, a man shocked the world by murdering, raping and mutilating five women. He was never caught.

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Red Rain

Filming Locations:

635 South Mateo Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Group, Palissades Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's trailer re-uses music from Halloween.

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Goofs

Identical twins do not have the same fingerprints.

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Quotes

John: [Slamming his fist down onto the table as he speaks] MY BROTHER DIDN'T KILL ANYBODY, some mother FUCKER slung him from his neck from the fucking ceiling!
Sgt. Gabriel: We have an eyewitness.
John: FUCK YOUR EYEWITNESS! This is bullshit, alright? If you wanna book me, book me.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Willow/Jack's Back/Assault of the Killer Bimbos/Powaqqatsi/Da (1988)

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Soundtracks

My Way
(Comme d'Habitude)
Music by Claude François and Jacques Revaux
French lyrics by Gilles Thibaut
English lyrics by Paul Anka
Published by Publishers Management Agency / Music Publishing Inc.
Rerecorded by Rod Loomis

User Reviews

Ripper has got himself a modern-day copycat.

This item might be trapped in its 80s decor (fashion, music), but this stylishly compelling and crisp psychological thriller holds it cards close and leads the way with an appealingly subtle and sincere James Spader performance. This guy has charisma! And he strongly pulls off the whole dual part of playing twins. The premise is one of those, the less you know, the better off you are. When you think you have it figured out, you'll find yourself at square one again. It's a simple, but cleverly penned whodunit murder mystery story. Its odd and manipulative multi-layered structure offers unpredictable turns, hidden clues, suspicious red herrings, but in the long run leaves some spotty developments and a real lack of motivation. It might annoy and could've used some tweaking, but the well-paced story (that takes time to give our protagonist some depth) and sense of urgency just grips you that you just go with it. Director / writer Rowdy Herrington's directorial debut shows assurance in his abilities. The thrills are routine, but confidently done with razor-sharp timing and jarring force. They're menacing, brooding, bloody and a little disturbing. He really does hold you at bay with powerful visuals and anxious suspense. The moody photography and lighting composition drills in well with the stirringly blues music score. This blends well in with eerily glum and sullen atmospheric tinge coming from the Los Angles' setting. The performances are well-suited. Spader is the film's main drive, but Cynthia Gibb is capably good and Robert Picardo turns in a sound performance. Its also stars Jim Haynie, Chris Mulkey, Rod Loomis, John Wesley and Rex Ryon in amusingly fine support.

A wonderfully quirky and darkly projected thriller that's better than your average output.