Tracks Movie Review

Tracks, seen from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran, took the Cannes Film Festival by storm, and it certainly offers some fine ensemble acting. The movie was filmed on a train without permission, and it's more than obvious. Paul Glickman tries hard with the camera work, but the overall picture has a hurried, jerky quality. Maybe Henry Jaglom was trying to emphasize how honest his screenplay was by interspersing overlong sequences with swiftly edited shots. But as a dramatic device, it's way too transparent to be successful. There is an internal integrity to Tracks, which is not altogether diminished by its inadequate attempts at technical flash. Jaglom should have had enough faith in his material and his cast to let the veteran's story emerge without artificial emphasis.

1976 (R) 90m/C Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell, Taryn Power, Zack Norman, Michael Emil, Barbara Flood; D: Henry Jaglom; W: Henry Jaglom; C: Paul Glickman. VHS, Closed Caption