Catchfire

Catchfire is a 1990 American romantic action thriller film directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Jodie Foster, Hopper, Fred Ward and Vincent Price, with cameo appearances by several notable actors, including Charlie Sheen, Joe Pesci, Catherine Keener and Bob Dylan. The film was disowned by Hopper before release and he is therefore credited under the pseudonym Alan Smithee. The film underperformed at the box office and received overwhelmingly negative reviews by film critics. In 1992, a Director's Cut of the film was released under the new title Backtrack. It runs 18 minutes longer than the theatrical version and restores Hopper's directorial credit. In additional to cable TV airings it has been released on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray. Backtrack has received important praise from specialized critics, being hailed as a total improvement over the theatrical version, while also being widely considered as Hopper's true vision of the film's story. Plot Conceptual artist Anne Benton creates electronic pieces that flash evocative statements. Her work has begun to attract major media attention. Driving home one night, Anne suffers a blowout on a road near some isolated industrial factories and, while looking for help, witnesses a mafia hit supervised by Leo Carelli, who kills another mobster and his bodyguard. Leo spots Anne, but she escapes and goes to the police. Two of the mobsters, Greek and Pinella, go to Anne's house to silence her, but manage only to kill her boyfriend, Bob. FBI agent Pauling -who's been after Carelli for some time- offers Anne a place in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program, but when she sees another mobster, Carelli's lawyer John Luponi, at the police station, she disguises herself with another woman's wig and raincoat and flees. Meanwhile, mob boss Lino Avoca, Carelli's boss, summons top-of-the-line hitman Milo to silence Anne. Milo purchases one of Anne's artworks and ransacks her house, discovering intimate Polaroids taken of her.