Backflash (2002)

Gritty business. Very entertaining. Low Budget. No flashy stuff. Sexy leading lady, good character actors. Parched-out desert locales. Cryptic but effective script with plenty of good twists.This is the kind of movie John Payne made when he switched from playing handsome singing A-leads to laconic tough guys back in the 1950s. Kansas City Confidential, for example. Later on Lance Hendricksen did a lot of good stuff like this. Maybe Robert Patrick is the new LH.What more could you ask for?

I'm barely ten minutes into this movie when I start thinking, "This is one of those movies where some naive bulb (Patrick) shacks up with the wrong person (Esposito) and gets burned in the process". Well after twenty minutes that's definitely the road this movie was heading down with Patrick playing the everyday joe who's fearful of being a failure and the sexy ex-con Esposito who tries to twist him around her little finger to fulfill her plans.Patrick and Esposito's chemistry works fine enough and the film features a couple of funny bits, but the story gets pretty convoluted as it reaches into the third act and by the end it has only gotten worse. So when it's all said and done, Backflash has played out like any number of typical straight to video quickies. There's adequate atmosphere and it features some recognizable faces in the supporting cast, but there's little freshness in the story department. As a movie on it's own merits, it's average, but Robert Patrick fans will probably want to check it out.

Warning; The plot of this movie is so thin, some of this might be considered spoilers. Backflash is not a brilliant film. Yes, Jennifer Esposito is attractive and surely destined for great things, and Melissa Joan Hart makes the most of her small role, but in general the film falls flat. The majority of the roles are lifeless with little chance to build character beyond stereotypes. Robert Patrick's sudden shift in demeanour half way through is jarring, and never explained even with the final revelations. The twisty plot just does not gel, mainly because it's full of holes. Why did they need a patsy? Why was RP SO mild mannered before the crack on the head? Why didn't that annoying song wake him up, but the alarm clock did? In general, this was the kind of film you normally find spiced up with sex and violence to cover the holes. A pity they didn't consider that here.

I've nominated this as my favourite movie in the IMDb survey. It is funny, quirky, love the music, love the story, there are some terrific lines, great cast line-up and above all my all time favourite actor Robert Patrick (RP) stars.Why did I choose this as the best movie? Apart from sexy RP's involvement I can see myself watching it over and over again. It is a fun, light-hearted movie with an action-packed ending.<<Harley (Jennifer Esposito): Mind if I smoke?Ray (Robert Patrick): Actually I do. It's not good for you. Second hand smoke's not good for you either. Please? (Yes - you go RP!)>>If you've seen other RP movies you'll notice he's given up smoking since.To all RP enthusiasts I recommend this movie as an addition to your ever increasing video libraries.RPcrazy