Switchback (1997)

An FBI agent tries to catch a serial killer who kidnapped his son.

Director:

Jeb Stuart

Writer:

Jeb Stuart

Stars:

Danny Glover, Dennis Quaid, Claudia Stedelin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claudia Stedelin	...	Missy, the Babysitter
Ian Nelson	...	Andy LaCrosse
Brent Hinkley	...	Man on Porch
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sheriff Buck Olmstead
Walton Goggins	...	Bud (as Walt Goggins)
Ted Levine	...	Deputy Nate Booker
Louis Schaefer	...	Sim
William Fichtner	...	Chief Jack McGinnis
Jared Leto	...	Lane Dixon
Robert L. Somers	...	Rancher
Lexie Stuart	...	Ranchers Daughter
Danny Glover	...	Bob Goodall
Ted Markland	...	Bartender
Gregory Scott Cummins	...	Rick
Tommy Puett	...	Ben

Storyline

F.B.I. agent Frank LaCrosse returns home to find his home has been broken into, his son is missing and Missy the babysitter is lying in a pool of her own insides. Her murder being the hallmarks of a elusive enigmatic serial killer whose slaughter spree...stretches nearly two years. Frank's desperate pursuit leads to Amarillo, Texas, where two more victims matching the killers M.O. have been found slashed to death. As Frank searches for his suspect the local Sheriff Buck Olmstead and his Deputy Nate Booker investigate the killings in-between a heated election feud, with his competition police chief Jack McGinnis. All the while drifting former doctor Lane Dixon is picked up by ex-railroad man, Bob Goodall. As a local Mechanic, Clyde 'Shorty' Callahan becomes the latest victim. Frank hopes and prays to find this sociopath before he disappears perhaps forever into the rocky mountains

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Plot Keywords:

african american | framed for murder | villain | car accident | fbi agent | 

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Taglines:

The hunter becomes the hunted.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and several views of nude pin-ups

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Zig Zag

Filming Locations:

Redcliff, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,704,568, 2 November 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$6,482,195, 14 December 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pacific Western, Paramount Pictures, Rysher Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The nude pictures in Bob's (Danny Glover's) car, are mostly Playboy or Hustler Magazine centerfolds.

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Goofs

In several scenes, squealing tires are heard from a car skidding on a snow-packed road. Tires do not squeal on snow.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Missy, the Babysitter: Whoo! There. Your folks are going to be home soon, and they're going to get me if they see you're still up.

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Connections

References Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

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Soundtracks

Safe in the Arms of Love
Written by Pamela Rose (as Pam Rose), Mary Ann Kennedy, and Pat Bunch
Performed by Martina McBride
Courtesy of The RCA Records label of BMG Entertainment

User Reviews

I liked it!

I liked just about every aspect of this movie. The local police aren't portrayed as a bunch of inbred idiots, the killer isn't portrayed as maniacal and impersonable, and the FBI agent isn't just a suit with all the personality of a tube of toothpaste. All of these combine to make a refreshing murder mystery/thriller. This isn't the classic "who dun it?" type of murder mystery; rather, it is more in the flavor of "Silence of the Lambs", where we discover who the killer is long before the end of the movie, and the suspense comes from anticipating the hero catching the villain.