Backtrack

In looking back at the later half of Dennis Hopper's directorial career, I can't go without mentioning one film that Hopper had his name removed from, 1990's Backtrack.

After witnessing a mobland execution, an artist, Jodie Foster, goes on the run and into hiding. The mob boss, Vincent Price, puts his top hit man, Hopper, to rub her out. After tailing her however, he finds himself falling for his target.

Hopper's original vision was a three hour epic that the studio couldn't stand. So, they edited it without his permission and retitled it Catchfire. Hopper successfully removed his name from the film, using the pseudonym Alan Smithee, and planned on suing the studio. Unfortunately that studio went bankrupt before Hopper could take them to court.

On the bright side, Hopper was able to get his hands back on the film and put together a 2 hour version of it, now named Backtrack, and premiered it on Showtime. Still to this day, his three hour version has never been released.

I've only seen the 2 hour Hopper cut. It's not his best work. It has a slow pace to it that doesn't always hold your attention. That being said, it's not a total wash. The leads are ok. Foster doesn't have a lot to do, and Hopper's mafia accent is kind of silly and distracting. What I really enjoy in this are the cameo's, and there's a ton of them. Joe Pesci, Dean Stockwell, Charlie Sheen, Bob Dylan, Fred Ward, and John Turturro to name a few. Also, a cool little sidenote, Alex Cox, who directed Repo Man and Sid And Nancy, did some uncredited rewrites on this.

Not Hopper's best work, but the film does have some charm.

It's available on dvd.