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Parents' Guide to

Backtrace

By Monique Jones, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Bare-bones Stallone action film has violence, language.

Movie R 2018 92 minutes
Backtrace Movie Poster

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

BACKTRACE is an action film that follows Donovan (Matthew Modine), a robbery suspect who loses his memory in a gunfight. He's placed under medical surveillance for seven years while Detective Sykes (Sylvester Stallone) tries to solve the case, even though he's lacking the help that Donovan's memory could bring. Eventually Donovan is approached to try an experimental drug that could bring his memory back -- and lead him toward where he hid the still-missing money.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Backtrace is a bare-bones action movie. It follows the beat-by-beat expectations of movies in the genre, squandering the intriguing potential of a plot about an experimental drug.

The film seems to be aiming to capitalize on Stallone's big name cachet, but his character isn't in the film as much as you might think, and you can tell that he was only on set for a short time. Sykes is a mostly ineffective character, and he makes a ridiculous decision at the end in order for the film to have a positive resolution. Overall, Backtrace will likely be a footnote in the action genre; hopefully the team behind it can come back with a stronger entry.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the action film genre. How does Backtrace perpetuate stereotypes of the genre? How does it try to break them?

  • Why does Donovan decide to steal? Does his reasoning make sense to you? How realistic is his journey in the film?

  • How is policing portrayed in the film? How does it compare to the way you've seen it depicted in other movies?

  • Is the film's ending realistic?

Movie Details

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