4.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The lone surviving thief of a violent armored car robbery is sprung from a high security facility and administered an experimental drug.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Matthew Modine, Ryan Guzman, Meadow Williams, Tyler Jon OlsonCrime | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
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.
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" 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.
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