Jack’s Back 1988

In Los Angeles, a young doctor named John Wesford becomes a suspect when a string of Jack the Ripper–style copycat killings shocks the city. He and another young doctor, Jack Pendler, are at the scene of the latest crime; both work for the same medical unit, reporting to the abusive Dr. Sidney Tannerson. Pendler realizes that Wesford’s testimony could seal his fate, and in a tense, ambiguously staged moment, Pendler murders him and makes the death look like a suicide. The police quickly name Wesford as the killer and suggest he killed himself out of guilt, a conclusion that unsettles everyone involved.

To the surprise of everyone, Wesford’s identical twin brother, Rick, arrives and claims to know his brother did not take his own life because he has visions of the true killer. In flashbacks, viewers see that Rick witnessed Pendler murdering his brother. The police treat Rick with skepticism, partly because his presence complicates the eyewitness account and calls John’s guilt into question. Undeterred, Rick teams up with Dr. Chris Moscari to pursue the truth and clear his brother’s name.

Rick’s investigation presses forward as Pendler becomes a primary, if imperfect, suspect—physical evidence ties him to the final crime, yet he doesn’t perfectly match the killer’s known habits. The twin’s quest is amplified by a tie between dreams and reality, as Rick pleads with the police psychologist to use hypnosis to sharpen the visions and gain clarity about what really happened.

In a intensified sequence of revelations, Rick’s refined vision reveals Pendler’s attack on his brother and notes an important inconsistency: Pendler’s shoes do not match the killer’s. He also recalls that Dr. Tannerson had been present at the scene, hinting at a deeper involvement than anyone had imagined. This new line of thinking points toward a dangerous figure who may have manipulated circumstances and others to commit the crimes.

With this crucial lead, Rick races toward the next target, Chris, to avert a tragedy and to confirm where the danger truly lies. The pursuit culminates in a tense confrontation that confirms Chris survives the encounter, and the trail of truth leads Rick to a consequential and tragic resolution: Dr. Sidney Tannerson is killed, an act that appears to be the culmination of a larger manipulation—one that steered Pendler into carrying out the final, devastating acts.

The story closes on a note of somber resolution: the true killer’s scheme is uncovered, yet the scars of the case linger, underscoring how fear, deception, and shadowy influence can drive ordinary people into the darkest corners of homicide.