Flashback (1990)

Wonderfully offbeat film!

To me, this movie is perfection.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I enjoy the 1990 movie Flashback, though mostly for it's first 45-50 minutes. That section has some extra pep, if that's the word, in a kind of double-crossing wacky comedy involving a former 60s radical rebel, Huey Walker (Dennis Hopper, at first in a sweet hippie get-up), who got arrested, escaped, went on the lam, and then got arrested again for an 'incident' involving Spiro Agnew's train in 1969. When things don't go so right at all when Buckner (Kiefer Sutherland, a sort of prototype of his character on 24 I'd wager) gets the screws turned on him when tricked into thinking he's been slipped LSD. Walker looks like he's making his escape after shaving his beard, and even with the chance of great publicity for his new book. But a wrong turn comes via a couple of average knuckleheads (Michael McKean one of them, not with nearly enough to be his usual comedic best), and then another cross turned by the local sheriff who doesn't want anything reported on the treatment towards Buckner in prison. So, in short, all of this is actually pretty entertaining, with some funny bits scattered all around, and a great flow for dialog that goes around during the train ride between Buckner and Walker (I also enjoyed, even as slight amusing stuff, the scenes in the woods at night).But then the screenwriter takes a sharp turn into contrivance, and the film basically never fully recovers- Buckner leads Walker to his first home as a kid, a commune where he was originally named 'Free' and gradually gets a change of heart from the middle-aged lady who resides there now. All of this might spark up a twinkle in some old hippie fogey's eye, but it just seemed like a sharp shift in the tone that wasn't needed. Maybe the writer &/or director couldn't think of a better way to keep the story moving (once it gets to its generic conclusions involving a chase and some minor violence on the train, it's only passable and at worst pretty trite), so they had to insert a fluffy commune/hippie piece with Hopper the only one making it only minutely worthwhile. A shame really, as I liked watching chunks of the film early on a totally guilty pleasure vein as an admirer of the trashy exploitation pictures of the flower power era (and, to an extent, trashy 80s FBI/cop thrillers too). Hopper and Sutherland don't make a bad odd couple either, all things considered. But it's not a puzzle either as to why I'd have not too much trouble finding it in the cheap-video bin at the store. Maybe better if you're hardcore fans of either actor; as a coda for Easy Rider, however, it's really lacking that 'something' of that film.

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.

As mentioned in other comments I have supplied, I am extremely interested in the 60's and 70's and so this movie is one that I had to see. It seems to me that the way in which the movie is structure, it has two worlds clashing with each other (almost like a dharma and greg). There are lessons to be learned in this movie and I was glad to have discovered them and learned from them. Flashback is a great movie with good background music.

this film had all the makings of a pretty boring film. it turned out to be much better than i thought. keifer sutherland plays a straight man, with an intresting past which when revealed. turns the story around. dennis hopper plays his well as usual. and keifer continues to amaze me for playing the "nice" guy. diffrent than his usual killer role he usually plays. overall a good film. worth catching on cable. hopper plays a hippie on the run that's caught and sutherland is the FBI agent in charge to bring him to spokane to serve his jail time. they get as far as oregon, and that's where sutherland's escort goes bad. hopper escapes and sutherland is confused for hopper by a cop wannabe senator. after clearing that up , then comes the chase , capture and....well you should see the rest on your own. it has some great twists. enjoy