Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

sol- Transporting the corpse of a fallen comrade by train, a Vietnam War sergeant is haunted by battlefield memories with his anguish exasperated by none of the other passengers being interested in the war and looking down upon him for serving. Made only two years after end of the Vietnam War, 'Tracks' is one of the earliest films to deal with the disillusionment of soldiers fighting an unpopular war. Dennis Hopper is effective and the lead role and the way his ride gradually turns from friendly and joyous (with a love interest no less) to nightmarish (blurring the lines between fantasy and reality) nicely captures this disillusionment. Clocking in at around 90 minutes, the film sometimes feels on the long side since 90% of it is set on the train with mostly dialogue-heavy scenes, but there is lots to like in the natural-sounding conversations that occur between the passengers on topics as diverse as eating chicken skin to chess tactics. The double meaning of the title is especially awesome, with it left open as to whether it refers to train tracks or the World War II music tracks that Hopper keeps playing on his portable cassette player in a futile attempt to convince himself that his war is as honorable as World War II. Some have been critical of the film's ending and the post-train scenes are certainly nowhere near as intense as the train ones, but this is a compelling tale overall of coming home.

dtucker86 Dennis Hopper is an actor that I am almost ashamed to admit I like but he is. This is a fine film and one of his best performances. You can tell he is stoned throughout much of the film but he still delivers playing a tormented man. This was one of the first Hollywood films to deal with Vietnam and one of the best. Hopper sears the screen as the man who cannot let go of the hell of war. I liked the WWII songs they play in the film like "Were Gonna Have To Slap a Dirty Little Jap" and "Theyll be a hot time in the town of Berlin". Henry Jaglom is a real genius of a director and I think this is his best film. It has never been shown on Tv as far as I know and it is a real loss. Rent and and be amazed.

Infofreak Much has been written about Dennis Hopper's off screen "adventures" during his exile from mainstream Hollywood in the 1970s, but the wild stories of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll overshadow the fact that when he WAS allowed in front of a camera he almost always gave brave, and emotionally open performances. The little seen 'Tracks' is a case in point. Hopper plays a soldier from Vietnam on a mission to escort the coffin of a fellow soldier back to the United States. He does this by traveling by train, hence the title. While on the journey he interacts with the other passengers, who include a mysterious hipster (Dean Stockwell), and a beautiful young college student (Taryn Power). He is smitten by the young girl, and wrestling with his shyness and uncertainty, attempts to develop a relationship with her. He is torn between his desire, his duty, the memories of the war, and of his childhood, and finds himself walking the line between sanity and madness. He must battle his demons and fight against hallucinations that plague him.'Tracks' features many fine, naturalistic performances from the supporting cast. The dialogue as a whole feels improvised, and Hopper particularly excels at this. Stockwell also impresses, and the few scenes between the two are fresh and memorable. 'Tracks' is a strong example of intelligent, uncliched 1970s film making, and should appeal to fans of Wenders 'The American Friend' (another strong Hopper role from this period), 'The King Of Marvin Gardens', 'Fingers', 'Scarecrow', 'The Last Detail', and other unfairly neglected character studies from this exciting era. This movie has been overlooked for too long! It's time to rescue it from obscurity.

Carlos Xavier 9. TRACKS (drama, 1975) Jack (Dennis Hopper), an ex-Vietnam veteran, is escorting the coffin of his dead friend's body, which is to be buried in their hometown. They travel by train, where Jack meets various interesting people.Critique: Actor Dennis Hopper has said that one of his main influences in acting was James Dean ("he was pure gold man"). He worked with Dean in his first film, the quintessential-classic 'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955) and in his second film 'Giant' (1956). Dean's mannerist style, irreverent mumbling and magnetic charisma made him into an overnight legend never before seen… and then there was Dennis Hopper. Though at first I saw Hopper as one of Dean's many clones, he has evolved into a surprisingly charismatic presence, full of his own style of anger and psychosis. One can see that early on he was very much influenced by Dean's untimely (or timely) death in 1955. His brief marriage to the daughter of a Hollywood 'mogul' producer landed him in the blacklist for his bad boy streak. Through the 1960s and 1970s he drifted in and out of Hollywood, spending most of his time in Europe (playing the "ugly American" parts). His experiments with drugs and alcohol landed him with his best financial triumph in 'Easy Rider' (1968). But that was all. He again disappeared into obscurity and fell further into disfavor with the "Hollywood crowd".His career suddenly resurfaced giving a tour-De-force performance in David Lynch's controversial 'Blue Velvet' (1985), and as a director with the influential 'Colors' (1988). Though I still admire his maniacal Frank Booth in 'Blue Velvet' (thus, typecasting him in 'psycho' roles), I rather like him in 'Tracks'. He displays great depth (most of the film's dialog is improvised), passionate mood swings, and a sense of reality. It could well be Hopper himself we see on screen trying to exorcise his inner demons. Director Henry Jaglom's claustrophobic camera-work, angst written screenplay and fallible pacing serves Hopper perfectly, the non-conformist. Hopper's Jack describes himself as being shy but is, in truth, a disturbed little soul. Lapsing into frequent, uncontrollable fits, anti-social, and traumatized by the loss of his childhood (the film's score works perfectly on the same wavelength). This is his most accomplished role yet.QUOTE: Jack: "Do you think about your childhood often? I think about mine. When the going gets rough, I think about my childhood.'