From iconoclast filmmaker Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider, Colors, The Hot Spot) comes a tense, sexually charged neo-noir for the 1990s. Stunning Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs) stars as Anne Benton, an artist who sees what she shouldn’t—a mob assassination. The police want her to testify; the mob wants her dead. So she goes on the lam, moves to another state and adopts another identity. But she can’t hide from Milo (Dennis Hopper, Speed), the mobster sent to kill her. One look at his target and the hit man has a change of heart. He doesn’t want her life…he wants her love. Before long this unlikely couple is on the run from both the cops and the crooks, dodging bullets and trying to sort out who to trust, who to kill and who to love. The red-hot cast includes Dean Stockwell, Vincent Price, John Turturro, Fred Ward, Julie Adams, Tony Sirico, Sy Richardson, Catherine Keener, Charlie Sheen, Alex Cox, Toni Basil, Joe Pesci and Bob Dylan. This special edition contains both the theatrical version and the Director’s Cut.

For thoughts on Backtrack, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

Video Quality

Backtrack debuts on Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 from what appears to be an older master that holds up well enough. Overall clarity and detail is passable, and skin tones only run a touch on the warm side with some distinct facial features apparent in closeup. Colors are one of the stronger elements of the transfer with good saturation. Black levels are slightly lacking with crush becoming a bit of an issue in some of the shadows. The presentation does deliver some softer shots and a bit of minor damage throughout. The release does not appear to be hindered by digital tinkering. The natural film grain of the presentation is present but can get a bit clumpy and swarming. This presentation from Kino Classics is okay, but this could use a bit of sprucing up.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that can sound a bit busy or overly brash. The score sounds as all over the place as the narrative itself, but it holds a strong place within the mix. The dialogue can sound a bit thin and unclear, but most exchanges come through without major issues. Environmental sounds such as the gunfire and the roar of the car engine are rendered well alongside various locales. There does appear to be signs of age-related wear and tear and potential compression that bring the track down a bit, but it does not sink the entire movie. There are English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Theatrical Cut (1:39:47) and Director’s Cut (1:56:16)

Audio Commentary: Filmmaker Alex Cox and Actress/Screenwriter Tod Davies provides a great commentary track in which they discuss the genesis of the film, how the original idea for the narrative shifted, the elements introduced by Dennis Hopper, the location shooting, the cast and characters, the release and audience reception to the film and much more that is very enlightening.

Trailers: This disc provides the trailers for the film under the title Backtrack (2:04) and Catchfire (0:55). There are also trailers provided for The Usual Suspects, Twilight, The Underneath, Narrow Margin, The Silence of the Lambs and The Hot Spot.

Final Thoughts

Backtrack is a patently bizarre movie that makes you feel as if you are having a fever dream. The movie has a straightforward appearance, but there are strong character choices at every turn that make even the most common scenarios a chance for oddity. The central “romance” is not believable in the slightest, but the dark humor is strange enough to make this worth at least a watch to see for yourself. Kino Classics has brought this one to Blu-Ray with an inconsistent A/V presentation and a great commentary track.

Backtrack is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.