John "Free" Buckner [Flashback, 1990]

Huey Walker is a hippie and a former New Left radical (in the vein of Abbie Hoffman) who has been on the run from the law for 20 years for something he did not do, disconnecting Spiro Agnew's train car in Spokane, Washington. John Buckner is an FBI agent who is set to transport Walker back to Spokane for trial. Their journey forces them to cross paths with a corrupt Sheriff Hightower and the two end up fleeing for their lives. As the story progresses, it is revealed that Buckner was raised on a communal farm and that his given name is Free. As Buckner learns to reconcile his past with his present, Walker does as well.

First, Walker deceives Buckner by saying that he put LSD in their mineral water and talks his teeth into getting drunk on tequila, as well as bribing the flight attendant to undress Buckner. As a result, they switch places the next day and John is put behind bars. He gets into an argument with Sheriff Hightower, for which he gets punched in the face, but later Hightower finds out that there was a substitution. At the same time, Walker runs into his former colleagues in a nearby bar, insulting himself, for which they kidnap him, thinking that they have kidnapped Buckner and call the sheriff. They arrange a meeting, but then the two kidnappers realize that something is wrong and quickly leave, and Hightower puts a gun to Buckner. Buckner distracts him and pushes Walker into the water, after which he jumps into the river himself. Wandering through the woods, they reach Buckner's hometown, where they find Buckner's older sister, Maggie, and where it turns out that John's name used to be Free. In an attempt to escape, they jump on a train, where they are attacked by Hightower, who wounds Buckner. Walker detaches the last car with explosive cargo and Barry, one of the special agents, shoots him. Walker dramatically dies, the train explodes, Hal Cresciman helps Buckner with the violation of the law, writing in the report that "Walker messed with his brain" and tells him that he had missed him earlier. Buckner decides to take a vacation for a while and stops by a bookstore to buy Walker's book "Flashback", soon meeting Walker himself, who became rich by faking his death. And finally, their paths diverge.

John (Free) Buckner is a comely young man with an interesting past. Born into a hippie family, he always dreamed of being normal, and one day he ran away from home, changed his name, and joined the FBI, but he always remembered home. He is a calm, reserved and even generally serious person, but after the adventure with Walker, he has become much more open.