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Switchback

Play trailer 1:47 Poster for Switchback R 1997 1h 58m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
32% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 46% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After his son is kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, FBI agent Frank LaCrosse (Dennis Quaid) travels to Amarillo, Texas, where he believes the murderer is in hiding. Although officially taken off the case because of its personal significance to him, Frank continues to pursue the killer, causing concern for local sheriff Buck Olmstead (R. Lee Ermey). When another victim pops up at a nearby car garage, Frank knows that he is as close as he'll ever be to tracking down the elusive kidnapper.
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Critics Consensus

Burdened by its heavy load of digressive plots turns and uneven performances, Switchback never gains any sense of narrative momentum.

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Critics Reviews

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Mike Clark USA Today 01/01/2000
2/4
Quaid is a one-note sadsack here and no natural action hero. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
2/4
Time and again the movie fascinates us with digressions, only to jerk back to the helpless main story line. Go to Full Review
Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot 03/14/2022
2/4
One wishes Quaid could loosen up enough to smile at least once. Go to Full Review
Lori Hoffman Atlantic City Weekly 12/07/2006
4/5
A superb, underrated drama Go to Full Review
Caffeinated Clint Moviehole 03/11/2006
3/5
High-class thriller, with a superb turn by Quaid Go to Full Review
Jake Euker F5 (Wichita, KS) 10/10/2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Sidney W Nov 28 Its a 90s modern western with some great plot twists, a lot of great action footage, and some cool one liners. Dont believe these idiot "critics", most of them are dead or dont know their ass from a hole in the ground. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Sep 27 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Vincent F 08/01/2024 Switchback is Another a diabolical killer that needs to be stopped flick but it does have some surprises. And the performances from Danny glover and R. lee ermey are amazing. See more Will K 09/11/2023 Danny Glover was outstanding. Casting and cast were very good. Switchback - just like the winding roads ... yes there were constant switchbacks throughout the script. Some may not have liked that - but, in this case, I thought they added more fun and suspense. Eventually we found out who "dun-nit", but then it was fun watching to figure out who among the characters would figure it out. It was also uplifting to see that even among rivals - integrity won out. BTW - I can't tell you how happy I am to see a movie were - NOT ONCE - did anyone play the race-card! It didn't matter what color one's skin was! How refreshing! Yes, classic Hollywood treatment - especially toward the end - one "cliff-hanger" after another (literally as well as figuratively). And the psychopathic killer - a mastermind? was just a little too brilliant to be believable (the manipulations and traps he set for Quaid's character). But hey, it's a movie and I was entertained. Cinematic masterpiece? ... of course not. and it's unfortunate that it did not receive higher ratings, but I give it a solid 60% See more Farah R @Farah 05/02/2023 Not a bad thriller, but not a good film. Switchback had the potential to be better in plot devices and suspense building, but it played it too safe, and the result is lackluster, however entertaining. See more Steve D 02/13/2023 Ok but there are no surprises to be found. See more Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis After his son is kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, FBI agent Frank LaCrosse (Dennis Quaid) travels to Amarillo, Texas, where he believes the murderer is in hiding. Although officially taken off the case because of its personal significance to him, Frank continues to pursue the killer, causing concern for local sheriff Buck Olmstead (R. Lee Ermey). When another victim pops up at a nearby car garage, Frank knows that he is as close as he'll ever be to tracking down the elusive kidnapper.
Director
Jeb Stuart
Producer
Gale Anne Hurd
Screenwriter
Jeb Stuart
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, Rysher Entertainment, Pacific Western
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 31, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.5M
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Scope (2.35:1)
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