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 the world was shocked by a man they called The Ripper. He was never caught...

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The police mention Richard was part of a gang. James Spader was at war with a gang in Tuff Turf (1989).

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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

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Jack the Ripper Goes West (2013)

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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

A Cool Take on the Ripper Story

A serial killer in Los Angeles celebrates Jack the Ripper's 100th anniversary by committing similar murders.

My first thought was how strange this film was for starting when there was only one murder left. It seems like it would make more sense to start at the first murder and allow the characters to solve the mystery of the pattern. Instead, they know from the opening scene that the killer is following the pattern of Jack the Ripper. This takes out much of the mystery element...

The cast here is pretty great, with both James Spader and Robert Picardo, both (I think) before becoming bigger names. Spader always had that boy next door charm, and Picardo is interesting and plays his role as a psychiatrist well, coming off as very suspicious at all the right moments.

The New York Times said "is so dull it leaves you plenty of time to marvel at how a plot can be this rickety, how a production can look this shabby, and how the first-time writer and director Rowdy Herrington could borrow a story with so relentless a grip on our imaginations and in no time at all declaw it." This seems terribly harsh. While not the greatest movie, it is still much better than many films out there, and had a premise that was enough to carry it.

I watched this film on Netflix, and I am told this version is different from the one on VHS or that was shown in theaters. I would be curious to know the differences, as I am told they are big enough to completely change the plot of the film... I liked the version I saw, but maybe the other is even better?

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