BACKTRACE (2018) **

After making a successful getaway, Matthew Modine and his bank robbing cohorts meet to split up the cash in the middle of the woods.  There is a disagreement about how to divvy up the loot, a shootout unfolds, and Modine is shot in the head and left for dead.  He winds up going to prison for the crime but is sprung by a young thief (top-billed Ryan Guzman) who wants to know where the money is hidden.  The only catch is Modine’s brain injury causes him to have severe amnesia. Luckily for him, the thieves have an advanced super drug that can help jog his memory.  

This is an okay set-up for a crime thriller.  The follow-through is a bit lackluster though.  The twist ending is decent, but it’s not enough to really make or break it.

I’ve always been a big Matthew Modine fan, so it was fun for me to see him matching wits against Sylvester Stallone.  I mean who would’ve thought we’d ever see Louden Swain go up against Rocky Balboa?  (Or, if you prefer, Private Joker versus Rambo.)  Too bad they only share one brief scene together.

Oh yeah, Stallone is in this movie.  It’s a shame his character is a supporting player, even though he gets second billing.  He seems disinterested most of the time, probably because he knows literally anyone could’ve played this nothing role.  (He spends most his screen time standing in front of a police peg board talking to Christopher McDonald and trying to figure out Modine’s next move.)

If you haven’t already guessed, this is one of those Grindstone Entertainment movies in which the filmmakers get a big name star to work a day or two, then they build a plot around them that only makes occasional use for their character.  I’m not a fan of this filmmaking process, but we are treated to a funny shootout scene in the end where Sly is never in the same frame as the guys he’s shooting.  Obviously, they filmed the bad guys getting shot on one day and the scenes of Sly firing the gun was added in later.

I could’ve enjoyed all this if the film had more of those corny touches.  However, the annoying shaky-cam scenes of Modine clutching his temples and trying to remember something during a blue-tinted flashback really tested my patience.  The action isn’t bad either, but it’s limited to the opening and closing scenes, which makes the second act a bit of a chore to sit through.  

In short, you may need some of Modine’s super memory drug by the time all is said and done, because Backtrace is thoroughly forgettable.

AKA:  Flashback.  AKA:  Amnesia.