Blu-ray Review – Flashback

Dennis Hopper was in a strange place during the 1980s. An actor and director who helped to change the course of the film industry with his work on 1968's "Easy Rider," Hopper gradually rode such fame into the ground, embarking on a longstanding battle with alcohol and other vices, sending him on a weird creative path where he worked with top directors (including Francis Ford Coppola, Sam Peckinpah, and Robert Altman) and participated in various B-movies. A plan towards sobriety really returned Hopper to the mainstream, working on himself while offering memorable turns in "Hoosiers" and "Blue Velvet," making himself known to the business in a different way. 1990's "Flashback" is representative of the new Dennis Hopper, with the thespian clearly inspired to work on a studio picture, perfectly cast as an aging countercultural figure reconnecting with his past, dealing with all the baggage involved in such self-reflection. If Hopper had a tail, it would be wagging throughout the feature, delivering an energetic performance that mixes elements of his past with traditional servings of action and comedy, handed a decent scene partner in co-star Kiefer Sutherland. It's difficult to imagine what "Flashback" would've been without Hopper's participation, as he's working hard to make the material work, adding something special to an endeavor that's engaging, but needs his energy to work through some lazy screenwriting from David Loughery (who would go on to disappoint with rough scripts for "Fatale," "Nurse," "The Intruder," and "Shattered"). Read the rest at Blu-ray.com