Jack's Back 1988
Jack's Back
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.
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.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 6 Photoscast
Full Cast & Crew... John Allen Wesford / Richard Wesford
... Christina "Chris" Moscari
... Sgt. Gabriel
... Dr. Carlos Battera
... Dr. Sidney Tannerson
RR
Rex Ryon... Jack Pendler
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews27 Feb 2023 by Wuchak
**_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-
Release Date:
May 06, 1988 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 37`
MMPA Rating:
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:

Related Movies To
Jack's Back
**_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-
Cast & Crew of
Jack's Back
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... John Allen Wesford / Richard Wesford
... Christina "Chris" Moscari
... Sgt. Gabriel
... Dr. Carlos Battera
... Dr. Sidney Tannerson
RR
Rex Ryon... Jack Pendler
... Scott Morofsky
... Sam Hillard
... Tom Dellerton
... Denise Johnson
... Mary
KMG
Kevin M. Glover... Neil Finchley
... Pimp #1
... Hooker
... Capt. Walter Prentis
... Andrea Banks
... Martha
... Surgeon
... Anchorman
PDP
Paul Du Pratt... Collin Marsh