Tracks
Sgt. Jack Falen (Dennis Hopper) prepares to escort the body of a friend across country for a military funeral. As Jack boards the train, he hears a radio broadcast of President Nixon announcing that A…
Tracks
Sgt. Jack Falen (Dennis Hopper) prepares to escort the body of a friend across country for a military funeral. As Jack boards the train, he hears a radio broadcast of President Nixon announcing that America has signed a peace treaty with North Vietnam. At the beginning of his journey, Jack meets Mark (Dean Stockwell). They flirt with a female passenger (Barbara Flood). The woman is attracted to Jack, but he leaves her side to listen to Gene (Zack Norman), a balding land salesman who is arguing baseball with another passenger. Jack then walks away mid-conversation to sit with Emile (Michael Emil), an aging intellectual, who explains yoga positions. Jack spends the day talking with Gene, Emile, and Mark about vegetarianism, chess, and the dangers of smoking, but he cannot sit still and consistently interrupts conversations to leave. However, he relaxes in his sleeping car, listening to music from WWII and smoking a marijuana cigarette. In Vietnam, Jack and his friend would take drugs and watch the tracer bullets fly overhead, but one day a tracer round killed his buddy. Jack insists there will be a band and a parade waiting for the funeral. When Mark invites Jack to the dining car to meet two college girls named Stephanie (Taryn Power) and Chloe (Topo Swope) , Jack changes out of his uniform, and joins them, but he is too anxious to stay at the table, and Stephanie joins him at the bar. Although Jack invites her to his room, Stephanie goes back to the table and Jack leaves. However, Stephanie later goes to Jack's berth and they embrace, but Jack's aggressiveness scares her away. The next morning, Jack apologizes to Stephanie and later reconnects with the lady he flirted with the previous day. She invites him to her cabin and they make love. That evening, Jack dines with Stephanie and Chloe, and when he excuses himself to check on his friend's coffin, Chloe interrogates Stephanie about her feelings for Jack. Later, Jack plays poker with a Korean War veteran who tells him to stop feeling sorry for himself, but as the man talks, Jack hallucinates that Stephanie is being raped by fellow passengers. Jack returns to his quarters and listens to his radio. The next day, Jack flirts with Stephanie and talks with Mark, confessing that he joined the army to escape poverty. Jack hallucinates that he is hunting a military policeman with a pistol throughout the train. Jack rushes to a bathroom, strips off his uniform, and runs naked back to his car. As Jack dresses in his civilian clothes, Mark bursts inside and explains that he is a revolutionary. Mark claims he is being pursued and begs Jack to hide him, but Jack throws him out, raving that Mark is the reason his friend is dead. Jack then hallucinates that Gene, Emile, and the rest of the male passengers chase Mark off the train and beat him. That night, Jack imagines going into a passageway where Mark, wearing an army uniform, approaches. He curls up into a ball and silently screams. The next morning, Stephanie decides to stay on the train with Jack despite Chloe's objections. Stephanie tells her friend that Jack has had a miserable life and she wants to give him one nice experience. Meanwhile, Jack imagines sitting next to an old lady who tells him everything will be fine. A group of train stewards appear, pick up the old woman, and drag her away. When a steward threatens Jack, an old man tells him that he is in great danger. Later, Jack hallucinates that he and Stephanie leave the train and make love in a grassy field. He breaks down, crying that he could not help Mark. The emotion provokes a second hallucination, where Mark morphs into Stephanie, wearing an army dress uniform. Jack keeps making love to Stephanie, but she becomes frightened and pushes him off to run away. The hallucinations end and Jack finds himself sitting alone on the train, sobbing. Upon arriving at his destination, Jack is met by two undertakers instead of a parade. Jack is confused, declaring that his friend was a hero and there should be a crowd to welcome him. The undertakers apologize and inform him of the funeral location and time. Jack wanders around town, ending up in an empty schoolroom, where he hallucinates that he goes home and plays with toy soldiers. At the cemetery, Jack is incensed there are no mourners. He asks to be left alone at the grave site, and has a breakdown. In his mind's eye, he leaps into the grave, opens the coffin, finds his battle gear, and runs across the cemetery to engage in battle.
Tracks
Drama,War
Film Details
Sgt. Jack Falen (Dennis Hopper) prepares to escort the body of a friend across country for a military funeral. As Jack boards the train, he hears a radio broadcast of President Nixon announcing that America has signed a peace treaty with North Vietnam.
At the beginning of his journey, Jack meets Mark (Dean Stockwell). They flirt with a female passenger (Barbara Flood). The woman is attracted to Jack, but he leaves her side to listen to Gene (Zack Norman), a balding land salesman who is arguing baseball with another passenger.
Jack then walks away mid-conversation to sit with Emile (Michael Emil), an aging intellectual, who explains yoga positions. Jack spends the day talking with Gene, Emile, and Mark about vegetarianism, chess, and the dangers of smoking, but he cannot sit still and consistently interrupts conversations to leave. However, he relaxes in his sleeping car, listening to music from WWII and smoking a marijuana cigarette.
In Vietnam, Jack and his friend would take drugs and watch the tracer bullets fly overhead, but one day a tracer round killed his buddy. Jack insists there will be a band and a parade waiting for the funeral. When Mark invites Jack to the dining car to meet two college girls named Stephanie (Taryn Power) and Chloe (Topo Swope) , Jack changes out of his uniform, and joins them, but he is too anxious to stay at the table, and Stephanie joins him at the bar.
Although Jack invites her to his room, Stephanie goes back to the table and Jack leaves. However, Stephanie later goes to Jack's berth and they embrace, but Jack's aggressiveness scares her away. The next morning, Jack apologizes to Stephanie and later reconnects with the lady he flirted with the previous day.
She invites him to her cabin and they make love. That evening, Jack dines with Stephanie and Chloe, and when he excuses himself to check on his friend's coffin, Chloe interrogates Stephanie about her feelings for Jack. Later, Jack plays poker with a Korean War veteran who tells him to stop feeling sorry for himself, but as the man talks, Jack hallucinates that Stephanie is being raped by fellow passengers.
Jack returns to his quarters and listens to his radio. The next day, Jack flirts with Stephanie and talks with Mark, confessing that he joined the army to escape poverty. Jack hallucinates that he is hunting a military policeman with a pistol throughout the train.
Jack rushes to a bathroom, strips off his uniform, and runs naked back to his car. As Jack dresses in his civilian clothes, Mark bursts inside and explains that he is a revolutionary. Mark claims he is being pursued and begs Jack to hide him, but Jack throws him out, raving that Mark is the reason his friend is dead.
Jack then hallucinates that Gene, Emile, and the rest of the male passengers chase Mark off the train and beat him. That night, Jack imagines going into a passageway where Mark, wearing an army uniform, approaches. He curls up into a ball and silently screams.
The next morning, Stephanie decides to stay on the train with Jack despite Chloe's objections. Stephanie tells her friend that Jack has had a miserable life and she wants to give him one nice experience. Meanwhile, Jack imagines sitting next to an old lady who tells him everything will be fine.
A group of train stewards appear, pick up the old woman, and drag her away. When a steward threatens Jack, an old man tells him that he is in great danger. Later, Jack hallucinates that he and Stephanie leave the train and make love in a grassy field.
He breaks down, crying that he could not help Mark. The emotion provokes a second hallucination, where Mark morphs into Stephanie, wearing an army dress uniform. Jack keeps making love to Stephanie, but she becomes frightened and pushes him off to run away.
The hallucinations end and Jack finds himself sitting alone on the train, sobbing. Upon arriving at his destination, Jack is met by two undertakers instead of a parade. Jack is confused, declaring that his friend was a hero and there should be a crowd to welcome him.
The undertakers apologize and inform him of the funeral location and time. Jack wanders around town, ending up in an empty schoolroom, where he hallucinates that he goes home and plays with toy soldiers. At the cemetery, Jack is incensed there are no mourners.
He asks to be left alone at the grave site, and has a breakdown. In his mind's eye, he leaps into the grave, opens the coffin, finds his battle gear, and runs across the cemetery to engage in battle..