Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Backtrace Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 27, 2019

We’ve already dealt with the VOD filmmaking stylings of director Brian A. Miller this past year. His last picture, “Reprisal,” was released back in August, adding another dud to his growing filmography of forgettable cinema, which includes “Vice,” “The Outsider,” and “The Prince.” Keeping up his interests in B-movies with nondescript titles, Miller issues “Backtrace,” which doesn’t deviate at all from his formula of limited locations, amateur supporting actors, and enough money in the budget to entice one big star. Bruce Willis slept through “Reprisal,” and now it’s Sylvester Stallone’s turn to pick up a paycheck, giving a few days out of his busy schedule to pretend to act interested in a dreary thriller concerning soggy memories and a stashed bag of cash. “Backtrace” has no creative fingerprints, with Miller rehashing all his low-budget helming tricks to arrange yet another tedious rodeo of cliches.

Seven years ago, Mac (Matthew Modine) was part of a criminal crew that robbed a bank for 20 million dollars, managing to hide the stash of money before meeting with their silent partners on the plan. Quickly betrayed by the goons, Mac is shot in the head, slipping into a coma. Now awake and suffering from retrograde amnesia, Mac can’t recall where the money is hidden, frustrating cop Sykes (Sylvester Stallone), who’s spent seven years trying to crack the case, which is filled with dead ends and suspects. Popping up in Mac’s life at a prison hospital is Lucas (Ryan Guzman), offering the confused man a chance to escape. Joined by nurse Erin (Meadow Willis) and thug Farren (Tyler Jon Olson), Lucas forces Mac to take an experimental memory enhancer to help clear his mind, sending him off to find the missing money as images from the past surge into view. Trouble comes with Mac’s reaction to the drug, scrambling his brain as Sykes and FBI Agent Franks (Christopher McDonald) start to put the case together after years of dormancy.

“Backtrace” delivers a workable premise from screenwriter Mike Maples. Mac is a panicked partner in a large-scale theft, dealing with a few other men and a sack of money they’ve hidden in a factory. Things go south, he’s hurt and the others are shot, and suddenly there’s no way to retrieve the fortune without some type of memory miracle the wounded man isn’t capable of producing. While it seems like an ideal starting point for a furious thriller filled with red herrings and pulse-pounding confrontations, Miller doesn’t have the ambition to take the material anywhere electrifying. Instead, the viewer is treated to the same old low-budget locations, with scenes taking place in an open field, an office, car interiors, and an abandoned factory. There’s not a whole lot of visual variation here, creating a drab feature. Adding to the headache are scenes in “memory vision,” which add a quaking effect to anything Mac recalls while under the influence of the drug. It’s hard on the eyes and an unnecessary bit of hand-holding from Miller, who doesn’t believe his audience is capable of following the divide between reality and recollection.

Stallone’s participation is minimal, keeping the actor to a few days of work, barely making an effort to spit out procedural dialogue while staring intently at a Red String Board inside the police station. Stallone is mentally checked out here (or perhaps mentally focused on a paycheck), putting pressure on Modine to make something magical out of his tortured crook role. The actor certainly tries to convey the agony of newly freed memories flooding back into his system, but for the majority of “Backtrace,” he’s merely clutching his head and screaming in pain, which gets old the minute it begins. Not helping the cause is the supporting cast, who stiffly work through banal dialogue and murky motivations, with most trying to come off tough. Acting isn’t detailed since Miller doesn’t really care about nuance, putting most focus on gun fights and yelling matches, while padding is a huge issue is “Backtrace,” as a good 25% of the movie is devoted to characters blindly searching for the money inside a massive abandoned factory.

Backtrace Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Backtrace" delivers an accurate replication of the original HD-shot cinematography. Troubles aren't common, with some mild banding creeping into scenes. Sharpness is communicative, examining crumbling, rusted abandoned factory interiors, supplying a feel for the industrial mood of the last act. Facial particulars are defined to satisfaction, keeping age-related wear and tear on Modine and Stallone distinct, with the latter's incredible hairline the focal point of any shot. Office interiors are open for inspection, with crimewave- related information on whiteboards and walls. Costuming retains intended textures, from crisp professional gear to tougher leather jackets on Stallone. Colors are secure, surveying brighter location hues from forest battles to downtown buildings. Concrete mazes retain their colder grays, while street art provides some pop. Skintones are natural. Delineation is comfortable, without solidification.

Backtrace Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a smaller action title, "Backtrace" makes sure to pack some punch in its 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix. Sound effects are a highlight, with gunfire especially snappy and deep, giving shootouts a proper level of intensity as violence escalates in rural settings and around an empty factory. Dialogue exchanges are crisply defined, identifying levels of thespian commitment and shortcomings, never finding chaotic extremes. Scoring is insistent but supportive, offering a heavier synth presence with percussive swings to increase suspense. Atmospherics are present, clarifying outdoor showdowns and tighter spaces for factory money hunting. Surrounds are generally alert, feeling around environments, and Mac's "Memory Vision" effect is supported with directional activity, immersing the viewer in distorted, fragmented events from the past. Low-end is maintained throughout.

Backtrace Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Making 'Backtrace'" (5:58, HD) is a short featurette (loaded with film clips) on the production, with director Brian A. Miller providing a story recap, while assorted cast members (no Sylvester Stallone or Matthew Modine) detail character motivation and their overall placement in the plot. Miller's professionalism is lauded by all, and the helmer examines the ups and downs of working in Savannah, Georgia. Trying to sell his movie, Miller makes a last-minute comparison to "The Usual Suspects," hoping viewers return to the feature after a viewing to examine all the pieces of the mystery.

• Interviews (20:49, HD) spend extra time with Miller, Christopher McDonald, Ryan Guzman, and Colin Egglesfield.

• And a Trailer (1:45, HD) is included.

Backtrace Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Backtrace" is a bore before it becomes a mess, supported by tireless scoring efforts that try to Nolan-ize the viewing experience while onscreen action does next to nothing. Miller isn't committed to doing much more than the expected with the movie, which eventually becomes a collision of revelations that lack power and villainous exposure that's completely telegraphed by unadventurous casting. With "Backtrace," Miller continues to churn out the same product and gets the same deadly results, in dire need of a new genre or possibly a different career.