Flashback

This movie is never boring. Wonderful soundtrack and the actors, ALL, were PERFECT in their role. I have read reviews of this film and the reviews were less than kind. OK, it's not Citizen Kane but it's not trying to be the greatest film in the world. Story isn't complicated... A Fed (Kiefer Sutherland) is bringing in an UNDERGROUND '60's political fugitive (Dennis Hopper.) The sidetracks are entertaining and this may seem silly BUT the story is somewhat plausible...maybe not in the real world but certainly in the REEL world. Bottom line... don't judge it just sit back and enjoy the music and the VERY adept acting....it's a fun fantastic trip.

For the most part, this is an enjoyable "flashback" for most folks, a look back at the wild and crazy late 1960s. I would have enjoyed it more without all the blasphemous exclamations out of Keifer Sutherland's mouth.

For those who loved the '60s and its hippie-far Left political and cultural stances, this will be a nostalgic remembrance of those days. For those who think that period was the beginning of the end, morally and culturally for the U.S., this film will demonstrate that, too.

Regardless of where one is politically, the film moves very fast, is very entertaining, and has almost no credibility. In parts, it's just embarrassing it is so ludicrous.

Dennis Hopper is very believable as the ex-"hippie" and Carol Kane is a hoot as the "flower child." The rest of the cast, led by Sutherland, is nothing but irritating.

Also, the soundtrack of '60s songs is excellent.

Huey Walker(Hopper) is an hysterical character to watch in this film as a hippie who is very Abby Hoffman like. He is arrested by John Buckner (Sutherland), a tight-assed, republican, FBI agent. What is supposed to be a simple task of transporting a prisoner turns out a harder job than expected for Buckner. As they make their way from San Francisco to Spokane, they encounter many obstacles. From a kind hearted prostitute to a crooked sheriff to a Haight Ashbury leftover played brilliantly by the ever wonderful Carol Kane (Scrooged, Taxi). Watching Walker and Buckner try to out smart each other is fuuny as hell, and chemistry between Sutherland and Hopper is great. You see the geninue friendship between them. The funniest scene, of which there are many, is when Walker is down on his knees, covering his face in mud. Buckner instucts him to then put one hand in the air and one on his heart and sing "Mammy". The humor however is nothing more than a vehicle for the true meaning of this film : You Can't Change Who You Are or Where You Come From. That message is perhaps best expressed in the lines:

Buckner:So you're a phony? Walker:Yeah so? Buckner:Just like me.

I give this movie my highest rating: 10 stars!

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A really good early 90s film (set in the late 80s) with great performances and strong, nuanced writing and humor and a few intriguing plot twists and turns. Highly underrated and barely remembered, it made its mark on me when I saw it back then and I never forgot it. Glad to see it on digital release recently.

This is one of those all around great films that anyone can enjoy. When I was young I thought it was really funny. Now I get all the deeper messages and plot details, and like the movie all the more for it. This is also one of the two movies that can make me cry. The other is Grave of the Fireflies. The other aspects of the film, besides plot, are great too. The characters play off each other really well. The filming is good, and the comedy doesn't compromise the more serious nature of the film.