Tracks (1976)

So bad it feels like it is a mini-series in length but little happens at all, endless shots of Hopper looking out the window but no real clues on anything except maybe that he has gone nuts, his mind is as blank as the script.The girl was a nice hippy chick but why would she find a burned out Vietnam vet attractive? maybe in the 70's women were docile creatures I dunno but it really seemed like the love interest was just thrown in there to not have the movie be a sausage fest.The last scene was unexpected, wow he's a psycho after all! but not entertaining. If you like Dennis Hopper you'll survive this movie but it is honestly horrid...

This movie has got more great Dennis Hopper scenes than any 10 of his latest roles. You've got Dennis Hopper carrying his radio around looking paranoid, you've got Dennis Hopper walking through a train stark naked, you've got Dennis Hopper leaping out of a grave, wrapped in bullets with a machine gun after going on a tirade, "I hate and I hate!" This is one fantastic film. It has cameos from some great character actors as well--there's Harry Northup (Doughboy in Taxi Driver), and Richard Romanus (Michael from Mean Streets). If that isn't enough you've got the always entertaining Dean Stockwell as a man on the run. The music is beautiful and hysterical. Good luck finding a decent copy of this film on VHS. It's not on DVD and don't expect it to be any time soon. But, if you can find it treasure it like a fine wine. Actually, killing a bottle of wine while watching this film is a good idea. Drink up...

Dennis Hopper is an actor that I am almost ashamed to admit I like but he is. This is a fine film and one of his best performances. You can tell he is stoned throughout much of the film but he still delivers playing a tormented man. This was one of the first Hollywood films to deal with Vietnam and one of the best. Hopper sears the screen as the man who cannot let go of the hell of war. I liked the WWII songs they play in the film like "Were Gonna Have To Slap a Dirty Little Jap" and "Theyll be a hot time in the town of Berlin". Henry Jaglom is a real genius of a director and I think this is his best film. It has never been shown on Tv as far as I know and it is a real loss. Rent and and be amazed.

9. TRACKS (drama, 1975) Jack (Dennis Hopper), an ex-Vietnam veteran, is escorting the coffin of his dead friend's body, which is to be buried in their hometown. They travel by train, where Jack meets various interesting people.Critique: Actor Dennis Hopper has said that one of his main influences in acting was James Dean ("he was pure gold man"). He worked with Dean in his first film, the quintessential-classic 'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955) and in his second film 'Giant' (1956). Dean's mannerist style, irreverent mumbling and magnetic charisma made him into an overnight legend never before seen… and then there was Dennis Hopper. Though at first I saw Hopper as one of Dean's many clones, he has evolved into a surprisingly charismatic presence, full of his own style of anger and psychosis. One can see that early on he was very much influenced by Dean's untimely (or timely) death in 1955. His brief marriage to the daughter of a Hollywood 'mogul' producer landed him in the blacklist for his bad boy streak. Through the 1960s and 1970s he drifted in and out of Hollywood, spending most of his time in Europe (playing the "ugly American" parts). His experiments with drugs and alcohol landed him with his best financial triumph in 'Easy Rider' (1968). But that was all. He again disappeared into obscurity and fell further into disfavor with the "Hollywood crowd".His career suddenly resurfaced giving a tour-De-force performance in David Lynch's controversial 'Blue Velvet' (1985), and as a director with the influential 'Colors' (1988). Though I still admire his maniacal Frank Booth in 'Blue Velvet' (thus, typecasting him in 'psycho' roles), I rather like him in 'Tracks'. He displays great depth (most of the film's dialog is improvised), passionate mood swings, and a sense of reality. It could well be Hopper himself we see on screen trying to exorcise his inner demons. Director Henry Jaglom's claustrophobic camera-work, angst written screenplay and fallible pacing serves Hopper perfectly, the non-conformist. Hopper's Jack describes himself as being shy but is, in truth, a disturbed little soul. Lapsing into frequent, uncontrollable fits, anti-social, and traumatized by the loss of his childhood (the film's score works perfectly on the same wavelength). This is his most accomplished role yet.QUOTE: Jack: "Do you think about your childhood often? I think about mine. When the going gets rough, I think about my childhood.'