''Flashback'' is a 1990 American

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

starring Dennis Hopper, Kiefer Sutherland, and Carol Kane. The film is written by David Loughery and directed by Franco Amurri.

Synopsis

Huey Walker ( Dennis Hopper) is a

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

and a former

New Left The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...

radical (in the vein of Abbie Hoffman) who has been on the run from the law for 20 years for something he did not do, disconnecting

Spiro Agnew Spiro Theodore Agnew (; November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second of two vice presidents to resign, the first being John C. ...

's train car in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

. John Buckner ( Kiefer Sutherland) is an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

agent who is set to transport Walker back to Spokane for trial. Their journey forces them to cross paths with a corrupt Sheriff Hightower and the two end up fleeing for their lives. As the story progresses, it is revealed that Buckner was raised on a communal

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

and that his

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

is Free. As Buckner learns to reconcile his past with his present, Walker does as well.

Cast

* Dennis Hopper as Huey Walker * Kiefer Sutherland as Free "John" Buckner * Carol Kane as Maggie * Paul Dooley as Stark * Cliff De Young as Sheriff Rand Hightower * Richard Masur as Barry *

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

as Hal Cresciman * Kathleen York as Sparkle * Jean Gilpin as Elizabeth

Reception

The film received mixed reviews.

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' stated,

About 30 minutes before it's over, ''Flashback'' begins to go to pieces, like someone who has overdosed on carrot juice and organic marzipan. The movie becomes woozy and sort of distraught. Until then, it's an engaging comedy about the confrontation of a superannuated flower child of the 1960s and a 26-year-old representative of the clean-shaven, cholesterol-conscious, fiercely conservative 1980s.

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' critic Peter Rainer stated:

In "Flashback" (citywide), the casting of Dennis Hopper as an Abbie Hoffman-like radical prankster is weirdly dislocating. Still primarily identified with " Easy Rider," Hopper is the shaggy archetype of '60s hippie anomie. ..Despite his scraggly derelict's appearance and screw-loose antics, he is wised-up and politically right on. He is, God help us, the conscience of the '60s. And that's where the dislocation comes in. Hopper represents the fringes of hippiedom for us, yet his character here is also being promoted as a robust politico—an Abbie Hoffman in Rip Van Winkle drag.

Remarked

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

I've heard people complaining recently that once you've seen the coming attractions trailer for a movie, you've seen the movie. That's the way I felt after seeing the trailer for Franco Amurri's ''Flashback'', but the film itself is a pleasant surprise - deeper and more original than the formula that the trailer seems to promise.

The then-new ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' magazine gave the film a B+, stating:

Ever since the mythic ’60s ended, countercultural idealists have been grappling with the loss of what they believed would be their eternal youth. Considering how many serious books and movies have addressed the aging of the Woodstock generation, it’s surprising to find Flashback, a seemingly insubstantial film that has something important to say on the subject. ..Screenwriter David Loughery cleverly builds this simple role reversal into an affecting vehicle for exploring identity and growth. Against all odds, the movie manages to avoid easy caricatures. ..Unlike many such voyages through the past, this is one ’60s trip that’s worth repeating.

Based on 16 reviews, the film has a score of 44% on

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Box office

The film debuted at number 5.

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack is made up of a mix of 1960s and 1980s alternative music. The theme song "Free" by the band

Big Audio Dynamite Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) were an English band, formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist), Mick Jones, former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of th ...

is only available on this soundtrack; it was never included in any Big Audio Dynamite album, although the single edit appears on their compilation '' Planet B.A.D.''. A remake of the song, titled "Kickin' In", was later recorded by Big Audio Dynamite II and included on the '' Kool-Aid'' album. The film itself (though not the soundtrack album) includes two other Big Audio Dynamite songs, " The Bottom Line" and " C'mon Every Beatbox." Bob Dylan's version of

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

's " People Get Ready" is also only available on this soundtrack; to date, it has not been released in any Dylan album or any of his many box sets or ''Bootleg Series'' releases, although a different version Dylan recorded in 1975 is available on iTunes as a bonus track on '' Bob Dylan: The Collection''. Track Listing # "Free" –

# "Fatal Attraction (And It's So Strange...)" – The Ultraviolets # "Next Time (I'll Dream of You)" – Flesh for Lulu # " Walk on the Wild Side" – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians # " It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – R.E.M. # " People Get Ready" –

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

# " On the Road Again" –

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...

# " Born to Be Wild" – Steppenwolf # " Comin' Back to Me" –

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1965. One of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

# " All Along the Watchtower" –

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

References

External links

* * {{Franco Amurri 1990 films 1990s adventure comedy films 1990s buddy comedy films 1990s chase films 1990 crime comedy films American adventure comedy films American buddy comedy films American chase films American crime comedy films English-language adventure comedy films Hippie films Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Films about friendship Films directed by Franco Amurri Films set in 1989 Films set on trains Paramount Pictures films Films with screenplays by David Loughery Films scored by Barry Goldberg 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language crime comedy films English-language action thriller films English-language buddy comedy films