Jack the Ripper is one of the most fascinating serial killers of all time mainly because of the way they (I always assumed it was more than one killer) murdered, and their targets. Sadly, the entity has managed to inspire so many horror films, some very good, and some known as “Jack’s Back.” A cheapy little vehicle, “Jack’s Back” has vague connections to Jack the Ripper, but it overplays its hand by sidestepping the slasher motif, trying to be a cerebral character study. It fails on most fronts. Instead watching like a goofy, often muddled mess that I had a tough time keeping up with.
In a sickening coincidence — or a sinister homage to actual crimes — women are being murdered in Los Angeles 100 years after Jack the Ripper terrorized London. Police think John Westford (James Spader), a young doctor, is the murderer, and when he’s found hanging from a noose, authorities believe his apparent suicide is a tacit admission of guilt. But his twin brother, Rick (also Spader), insists John was killed, and, when it appears Rick is right, the investigation takes a stunning turn.
SPOILER WARNING—Star Spader pulls double duty playing Rick, the twin brother of John, a young idealistic doctor who is murdered by the alleged killer playing LA. Along the way, Rowdy Herrington squeezes in plot elements about the paranormal, a weird romance sub-plot, a pair of comedic inept cops, and a climax that just didn’t make any sense at all. There’s also awkwardly tacked on social commentary about the American healthcare system. There’s some great material to be mined about the psychology of twins and the mental link they share, but so much of that is superficial here.
The worst element of “Jack’s Back” is the horrendous editing which makes the narrative almost impossible to follow. Along with the nonsensical prologue, there’s also the shift from John to Rick. Director Harrington fails to establish the whole twins central device so poorly that once we shift to Rick, I was completely lost. I assumed John dreamt his death until finally catching up and emitting a long groan of realization. It’s the bad editing that just keeps this movie painfully confused and disjointed. Despite a neat ensemble cast, “Jack’s Back” is just a terrible, confusing, silly slasher film trying to be taken seriously as a psychological thriller.
The new release from Shout comes with the original Trailer, the twenty three minutes The Making of Jack’s Back, which contains some interesting interviews with various cast and crew members. Finally, there’s the Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Rowdy Herrington who talks about his years in Hollywood prior to getting this job as director, and casting Spader, who was not the producers’ first choice.