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Film / Switchback

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A 1997 thriller film, Switchback revolves around the hunt for an elusive serial killer. Sheriff Buck Olmstead is facing a tough battle for reelection, while two grisly murders have just been committed in town. An FBI agent quickly arrives named Frank LaCrosse, who tells him these were committed by a serial killer who he has been chasing. It turns out though the FBI believes the case is closed, and LaCrosse has gone rogue because he's convinced otherwise (the serial killer also kidnapped his son, shown in the opening). Meanwhile, a young drifter, Lane Dixon, gets picked up from the side of the road while hitchhiking by an affable man named Bob Goodall; the pair set off cross-country. Yet who is the killer?

The film stars Dennis Quaid, with Danny Glover, Jared Leto and R. Lee Emery in supporting roles.

Examples:

  • Alone with the Psycho: Lane, after he's realized Bob really is the serial killer. They're in a train car, and Bob murders the other person there.
  • Bar Brawl: Lane stops in a roadside bar against Bob's advice. He gets accused of beating up a man's friend in another town right away, and it quickly turns into a fight. Bob rescues him after they plan to do worse when he's overpowered by them.
  • Criminal Mind Games: The killer started writing LaCrosse taunting letters when he began hunting him, along with leaving clues and later kidnapping LaCrosse's son. In his last letter, he left clues on how to catch him that take a long time for LaCrosse to figure out.
  • Every Car Is a Pinto: Averted - when Bob loses control of his car, and it goes off the road and then over the pass, it doesn't catch fire, though it does break into several pieces.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Bob puts on a front as a friendly, charming man, though he does show a hard side early on. He's friends with lots of people, who all can't believe he could ever be a serial killer. Yet he shows zero hesitation in killing them.
  • FBI Agent: Frank LaCrosse, who has been hunting the serial killer and headed the taskforce formed to catch him. However, the FBI has suspended him as he's gone rogue to keep up the hunt after they ruled the case is closed. A higher FBI official is trying to arrest him during the film for this.
  • Frame-Up: The killer had an accomplice (seen early on) or dupe who helped him kidnap LaCrosse's son. When the FBI were closing in, he left evidence after murdering the guy (staged as a suicide) to make it look like he'd been the killer, so they'd declare it closed. LaCrosse didn't buy this, and kept hunting.
  • Going by the Matchbook: Lane realizes that Bob really is a Serial Killer by seeing that he's got a matchbook from a motel where a high-profile double murder was committed.
  • I Have Your Wife: The killer kidnapped LaCrosse's son, but doesn't coerce him into stopping the hunt. Rather, he left LaCrosse a note saying he can only save his son by killing him, as a challenge. Most everyone believes his son is already dead, though LaCrosse says he has to keep believing otherwise.
  • Instant Drama, Just Add Tracheotomy: Lane performs one to establish his character used to be in med school.
  • Internal Reveal: The audience discovers who's the killer before the other characters do, since we see him just as he's about to murder someone (with the actual act offscreen).
  • Missing Child: Frank LaCrosse's son was taken out of his house by the killer, who murdered the child's babysitter. Since then, naturally LaCrosse has been obsessed with finding him, as the killer promised he could, though most people think it's hopeless.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Sheriff Olmstead may have his own murder investigation to deal with, but when he realizes why LaCrosse is investigating the case, he not only helps LaCrosse, but when LaCrosse's boss comes to arrest him, Olmstead instead helps LaCrosse get to the next town so he can find his son.
  • Rogue Agent: Frank LaCrosse is an FBI Agent who's a heroic example. He went rogue after the FBI closed the case of a serial killer he'd been hunting down on a taskforce. LaCrosse (rightly) believes the killer faked his suicide (which caused the case to be closed) as well as kidnapping LaCrosse's son with a taunting note left behind as a lure. He'd been assigned another case, but left and went after the killer again without permission. During the film, his superior is trying to arrest LaCrosse for this. However, in spite of all this, LaCrosse finds the killer and also his son.
  • Terminology Title: Switchback refers to a section of a railroad going up a steep hill.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Sheriff Olmstead's BLT sandwiches, which he made himself.
  • Wham Shot: Two of them:
    • When LaCrosse wakes up to the sound of a freight train passing by the motel he's staying at, he sees the number on the back of the train is 218, and realizes the serial killer was referring to that, instead of a date.
    • A little later, when LaCrosse is on the train, the engineer shows him a map of the train's path, and one of the towns listed there is "Believe", which makes LaCrosse realize what the killer meant when he wrote, "You must come to Believe."
  • Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Though the killer shows no compunctions at killing anyone else, he lets LaCrosse's son live. Although this may be to screw with LaCrosse initially, he could have murdered the boy, making LaCrosse's search futile, and this suggests even he's reluctant or unwilling to murder children.

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