Not part of a collection.
One hundred years ago, in the City of London, in the East-End slum of Whitechapel, a man shocked the world by murdering, raping and mutilating five women. He was never caught.
A young doctor is suspected when a series of Jack the Ripper copycat killings is committed. However, when the doctor himself is murdered, his identical twin brother claims to have seen visions of the true killer.
Wuchak
Feb 14, 2023 · via TMDB
**_Some highlights, but contrived writing, misleading title, dubious casting and TV-budget feel_** One hundred years after the infamous Whitechapel murders, a copycat killer manifests in Los Angeles. After five duplicate slayings, the police are (mis)led to believe that the murderer committed suicide. If not, the culprit is still on the loose! Being that "Jack’s Back” (1988) is about the second coming of Jack the Ripper, I expected a gory, sleazy slasher along the lines of "Edge of Sanity" (1989), but this is more akin to "I, Madman" (1989) mixed with “The Night Stalker” (1972), just inferior to both. It was one of James Spader’s first starring roles and he does a fine job while winsome Cynthia Gibb is another positive on the female front. Unfortunately, something turned me off. For one, the character played by Rex Ryon comes across as a NFL linebacker as opposed to a young doctor, which is bad casting. Then there’s the jarring twist at the half hour mark and the hackneyed identical twin trope. Why Sure! It doesn’t help that very little of the flick FEELS like Jack the Ripper in the modern day, as was the case with “Edge of Sanity” or the more recent “Maniac” (2012). This was the writer/director’s first film, which might explain the deficiencies. He intended for it to be titled “Red Rain” with the use of Peter Gabriel’s song for the opening credits, but the miniscule budget wouldn’t allow for the licensing. While I was surprisingly disappointed, Siskel & Ebert gave it a fairly enthusiastic “thumbs-up.” So, if anything I said trips your trigger, give it a shot. You might like it. As far as I’m concerned, there’s good reason for its obscurity. The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles. GRADE: C/C-
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James Spader
John Allen Wesford / Richard Wesford
Cynthia Gibb
Christina "Chris" Moscari
Jim Haynie
Sgt. Gabriel
Robert Picardo
Dr. Carlos Battera
Rod Loomis
Dr. Sidney Tannerson
Chris Mulkey
Scott Morofsky
John Wesley
Sam Hillard
Bobby Hosea
Tom Dellerton
Danitza Kingsley
Denise Johnson
Anne Betancourt
Mary
Kevin Glover
Neil Finchley
Kathryn O'Reilly
Hooker
Wendell Wright
Capt. Walter Prentis
Graham Timbes
Surgeon
Mario Machado
Anchorman
Cindy Guyer
Neighbor
Shelly Johnson
Director of Photography
Kimberly Bailey
Craft Service
Al Wyatt Sr.
Stunts
Eddie Braun
Stunts
J.P. Romano
Stunts
Neil Summers
Stunts
Tom Morga
Stunts
Rowdy Herrington
Director
Barry Rubinow
Associate Editor
Mary McLaglen
Production Manager
Greg P. Russell
Sound Mixer
Barry Rubinow
Sound Supervisor
Rowdy Herrington
Writer
May 6, 1988
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Zone 2
2015
Birder
2026
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Battle your watched movies head-to-head
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Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Top Gun: Maverick
2022 · 11 wins
Joker
2019 · 11 wins
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