Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Vivekmaru45 What a horrendous film, I am amazed at the films high rating. After watching Jack the Ripper (1988 TV) starring Michael Caine, Armand Assante and Jane Seymour, and also From Hell (2001) starring Johnny Depp and Ian Holm, I was expecting more of the same. Alas, this film disappoints from the start. A poorly executed plot, mediocre acting with shallow characters.This is James Spader's worst film to date. He performed much better in Stargate (1994) and The Watcher (2000). The title refers to a Jack the Ripper copycat, who's committing similar murders in Los Angeles on the same days on the hundredth anniversary of when the original killings occurred. Plot: A young doctor John Westford (James Spader) finds himself at the scene of one of the Ripper murders and is eventually killed. His identical twin brother Rick Westford (James Spader) claims to have seen visions of the true killer in a dream. The police think that John had committed the murder and was the copycat. Now Rick has the chance to prove his brother was innocent and the the murderer is someone else....... In conclusion, not worth wasting 1hr 33mins on this flick. Do something else instead like cleaning your house or going for a walk in the park.

sol1218 **SPOILERS** Very disjointed movie about this "Jack the Ripper" imitator who's out to duplicated his horrific crimes this time in L.A ,not London,that he committed exactly, back in 1888, 100 years ago. After murdering and dissecting, like the "Ripper" did, four of his victims it's expected by the LAPD that the "L.A Ripper" is due for one more ,victim more #5, to complete his grizzly task.The film "Jack's Back" centers around the L.A Free Clinic "Echo Park" located in the poor and slummy side of town. Working at Echo Park is young and socially conscious minded med student John Westford, James Spader, who's at odds with his pain in the a** boss Dr. Sidney Tannerson, Rod Loomis. Dr. Tennerson is always threatening to fire John for shooting off his mouth to the media about how bad those without money or health insurance are treated in the country's hospitals.Working with John is this big sweaty and deranged looking med-student, like John, Jack Pendler, Rex Ryan, who's obviously, just by his actions, the #1 suspect, to those of us watching the movie, in the "Rippers" killings. Jack doesn't disappoint us by showing up at Denises Johnson's, Daitza Kimngsley, apartment to preform an abortion on her for a cool $200.00! This in 1988 when abortions were legal in the US and for free in the free clinic-Echo Park- where Denise was a patient at! We never really get to see what happened to Denise but she ends up dead with Jack now in deep sh*t in being the last person to see her alive!With John showing up at Denise's place and finding her dead, with Jack barging down the stairs, it's obvious to him that Jack is the "L.A Ripper" and takes off after him. Trying to take on the much bigger and powerful Jack John ends up getting killed, in his being strung up, by him. It's then that were introduced to John's twin brother Rick, also played by James Spender, who at the moment of John's murder he had a dream of it happening!By the time Rick shows up the "Jack the Ripper" angle of the movie becomes completely kaput in that the killer fulfilled his quota of murders, five, that the real "Jack the Ripper" committed back in 1888. Were then bombarded with claims and counter-claims, by the police and Rick, to who the real "L.A Ripper is". Jack after murdering John had left a suicide note on him where he confessed that he in fact was the "L.A Ripper" which obviously he wasn't!Rick with the help of his late brother John's fellow clinic worker Christine Moscari, Cynthia Gibbs, then try to track down the real killer of not only John but the five "Ripper" victims. The movie get more complicated by the minute with both Rick & Christine not getting anywhere in finding the killer who seems to be everywhere and everyplace at the same time! The ridicules ending of the movie has "The Ripper", now with his identity reviled, again come out of the shadows and attempt to murder Christina while she's sleeping in bed. Why "The Ripper" would want to murder Christina or anybody else for that matter is the biggest surprises in the movie! He already met his goal, five murders, so why try to improve it by adding victim #6 to his scorecard!P.S There's a scene in the movie where "The Ripper" is caught, by Rick, spying on Christina as she's undressing in her apartment. Making a hasty retreat all that "The Ripper" left was his wet shoe prints. Later at his job as a shoe salesman Rick fits the very same shoes on one of his customers, Brian Fats Bender, that was at least a size 14 or 15! This made you as well as Rick suspect that "Fats" was the elusive serial killer in that the shoes in both the size and style that he wears fits that of "The Ripper". It's later when we finally got to see who "The Ripper" really was he was at least half, in hight weight as well as shoe size, the size that "The Ripper" was according to the shoe prints he left outside of Christina's apartment!

lost-in-limbo 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.

Li-1 Rating: *** out of ****Despite having one of the worst titles I've ever heard, Jack's Back is actually a nifty little thriller, a true hidden gem if I ever saw one. I happened to come across the film at a used video store (like the title, the cover box is pretty awful, too) (makes you wonder if the trailers and TV promos were also just as lame), and being a James Spader fan, decided to give it a look. Nice to see this turned out to be one of the better impulse buys I've made in a while.The title refers to Jack the Ripper, or more specifically, a copycat who's committing similar murders in Los Angeles on the same days on the hundredth anniversary of when the original killings occurred. Without giving anything away, I'll simply say that James Spader and Cynthia Gibb are the protagonists who are searching for the killer, even though Spader himself might be the one.Despite a plot that plays somewhat like a routine thriller, the story is still fairly enjoyable for what it is. There are a few plot twists and turns, some unpredictable, some which are fairly obvious. Fans of whodunnits (and let's face it, I think everyone enjoys a good whodunnit every once in a while) will find just enough intriguing detail to make this at least an average viewing. But what sets this apart from many thrillers, particularly those of the late 80's, is the emphasis on characters. Writer/director Rowdy Herrington probably spends even more time developing the lead protagonists than he does fueling the main plot (I can actually see how this might somewhat disappoint whodunnit fans hoping for a very convoluted plot, or slasher fans expecting more, well, slashing). Consequently, the suspense is ratcheted up a few notches and we find ourselves caring about the outcome. Most of the credit for this should go to Spader, who delivers a terrifically charismatic and extremely likable performance. He plays a man who's hardly a saint, but realistic in that he's flawed, and simultaneously more than capable of showing a genuine conscience. Cynthia Gibb (who's very cute) works well with Spader, she's charmingly convincing and adorable. The rest of the cast isn't really worth mentioning except for maybe Robert Picardo as a thoughtful police psychologist (who happens to live in a mansion, no less). Everybody else is mostly present to act as suspects or people who are simply in Spader's way.Herrington's direction is quite good, setting up a creepy atmosphere, nicely accompanied with an equally creepy score. It's Herrington's storytelling that could use more work. While many details are set up well, the finale stumbles due to a rather large leap in logic. To some, the film's conclusion might also seem rather abrupt, without quite enough explanation for all that transpired. If Herrington had tightened up his story, he might have had a great thriller on his hands. As it is, this is merely a good movie that rates well above average. But I shouldn't be complaining. Jack's Back is a pleasant surprise, even moreso for a movie with such an awful title.