Jack’s Back (1988) [Blu-Ray] 
Director: Rowdy Herrington
Cast: James Spader, Cynthia Gibb, Jim Haynie
Release Date: Now Available on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Disc Rating: 8/10
Synopsis:
One hundred years ago, Jack the Ripper slashed his way through London’s red light district. Now, a modern-day maniac is honoring the event by mutilating L.A.’s ladies of the evening. Has Jack the Ripper been reborn? The police are stumped and the prostitutes of L.A. are scared. The only person with a chance of solving the murders has a problem of his own – he’s the LAPD’s number one suspect.
The late 80’s cult classic ‘Jack’s Back’ revisits the infamous murders of Jack the Ripper so long ago as a hundred years after Jack terrorized the streets of London, a series of brutal murders strangely identical to the memorable Ripper’s killings begin occurring once again. With the murderer still on the loose, one man may hold the key to finding the person responsible; the only confliction is that his knowledge and activity also make him the police’s prime suspect. Now it’s a race against time as one man struggles to uncover the mystery before it’s too late and he goes down for the brutal slayings himself.
Written and directed by Rowdy Herrington (Road House, Striking Distance) who does a fairly competent job at the helm guiding his own script, and featuring a cast comprised of mostly capable actors including James Spader (Stargate), Cynthia Gibb (Short Circuit 2), Jim Haynie (Sleepwalkers) and more. ‘Jack’s Back’ is an enjoyable and intense thriller that features a solid mystery element and isn’t afraid to get a tad gory at times or to have a bit of fun with itself. It also showcases Spader at his best in the lead role, always casually smoking a cigarette and unafraid to confront any danger head on, always maintaining a cool and calm demeanor throughout.
Fans of this fun little cult classic starring James Spader will almost surely want to make sure to pick up a copy of Scream Factory’s Blu-ray release of ‘Jack’s Back’ to add to their collections, also marking the first time ever available on Blu-ray for the film. The release includes gorgeous high definition video and audio presentations, including a brand new HD transfer from the original camera negative, in addition to a couple of worthwhile extras including a new ‘Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Rowdy Herrington’ and more (more detailed information regarding the bonus content can be found in the special features section of the technical specification coverage below) which altogether is sure to make this release a must own or at the very least a definite wish list addition for many.
Overall, fans of the enjoyable cult classic ‘Jack’s Back’ will likely want to pick up a copy of Scream Factory’s Blu-ray release to add to their collections, while those such as me who may not have previously had the pleasure of this modern Jack the Ripper inspired thriller, I would certainly recommend checking it out if you have the opportunity to do so, it’s a fun, generally well acted and occasionally bloody mystery guided capably by Herrington that is definitely worth a watch.
VIDEO:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘Jack’s Back’ features a full brand new 1080p High Definition transfer from the original negative presented in the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic as a whole; this new HD transfer delivering a sharp and detailed presentation from start to finish that still retains some grain and mild pops representative of its source, yet with no notable faults to be found within. It holds up impressively even during the numerous darkly lit and fast moving sequences, never resulting in anything occurring on screen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is quite the gorgeous new high definition video presentation that should easily satisfy the majority of fans.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 2.0 Mono DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless mono soundtrack sounds fantastic for what it is, providing a consistently sharp, clean and detailed audio presentation that shares the dialogue, music and other auditory effects wonderfully, never resulting in any dialogue which may be occurring simultaneously in conjunction with other sound elements to become distorted or rendered inaudible. Overall, this is a solid 2.0 DTS-HD MA Mono soundtrack that shouldn’t disappoint.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘Jack’s Back’ includes a couple of great extras. Included on the release is a new ‘Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Rowdy Herrington’. Also included is ‘The Making of Jack’s Back’ (running approximately 24 minutes in length) which features new interviews with Writer/Director Rowdy Herrington, Producer Tim Moore and others. The ‘Trailer’ (1 minute) for the movie is also included.
*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.
Disc Rating: 8/10
‘Jack’s Back’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack from Scream Factory
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