Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- paranoid
- atmospheric
- late night thriller viewing
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the film atmospheric and well served by its locations and minor characters, but undermined by digressive plotting, uneven performances, and weak narrative momentum.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The investigation moves through Amarillo, Texas, Colorado roads, rocky mountains, trains, and remote communities rendered as ominous location spaces.
Frank's pursuit intersects with Bob Goodall, Lane Dixon, local law enforcement, and competing officials as the killer's identity remains uncertain.
FBI agent Frank LaCrosse's serial-killer pursuit is driven by the disappearance of his young son.
Sheriff Buck Olmstead and police chief Jack McGinnis investigate murders amid a heated election feud.
Films like Switchback, and why
Se7en
shares a serial killer investigation, bleak rural atmosphere, and procedural crime thriller structure
The Silence of the Lambs
shares an FBI pursuit of a serial murderer, grim suspense, and psychologically driven investigation
The Vanishing
shares isolated American landscapes, a missing-person investigation, and a morally tense crime mystery
Movie Details
- Director
- Jeb Stuart
- Release Date
- 1997-10-31
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (265)
Cast
- Dennis Quaid
- Danny Glover
- R. Lee Ermey
- Jared Leto
- Ted Levine
- William Fichtner
- Walton Goggins
- Kevin Cooney
- Leo Burmester
- Merle Kennedy
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Switchback about?
- An FBI agent races across Texas and Colorado to recover his abducted son while tracking a serial killer through a web of rural suspects and local rivalries.
- What is Switchback like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Switchback as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Switchback violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Switchback as graphic.
- What did critics think of Switchback?
- Critics generally found the film atmospheric and well served by its locations and minor characters, but undermined by digressive plotting, uneven performances, and weak narrative momentum.
- Which films are like Switchback?
- Films with a similar feel include Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Vanishing.
- How long is Switchback?
- Switchback runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Switchback?
- In United States, Switchback is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
