Backtrack, AKA Catchfire, is one of those films where you look at the stacked cast and you’d think this would have to be a great film, or how have I not heard of this film? Dennis Hopper and Jodie Foster, just one year before starring in The Silence of the Lambs; just this pair alone makes this film worth checking out. What also makes this film a bit unique is that it directed by Dennis Hopper as well.  Easy Rider is pretty much a classic in its own right, and in 1988 he had also done this film Colors, which starred Sean Penn and Robert Duvall. It is a pretty solid film and worth checking out, but right now the focus is on Backtrack. Really, it is at its core a simple crime/mobster movie, but it is sort of a cautionary tale of what happens when you try to inject too much “art” into a film that really is just a basic (yet strange)  neo-noir story.

Anne Benton (Jodie Foster) is a fairly successful artist and has a relatively normal life, but that all changes when she gets a flat tire and as a results stumbles across a mob hit. She narrowly gets away, and when her boyfriend, played by Charlie Sheen, is killed by some mobsters, she goes to the police. Well, they are no big help; they want her to change her name and go into witness protection, which is something she’s not interested in. Fearing for her safety, she goes on the run and into hiding.

Well, it would seem that Tyrone Power’s Mark Fallon can’t catch a break. Despite remaining honorable and showing compassion, it would seem that dishonorable and disreputable people try to bring about his ruination. The Mississippi Gambler is the story of one gambler’s efforts to succeed while also acting morally and ethically. This was a principle that I enjoyed watching, as I wondered whether his conviction would waver as the film went on. I mean, in a land of cheats and dishonor, how can one expect to remain honorable in kind? However, such ethics make for a compelling character, and that is certainly the case here. In fact, when we first meet Mark Fallon, his first official act is to bust and convert a would-be con man. Fallon’s charisma is such that he and this con man forge a unlikely friendship and bond. The backdrop is the Mississippi River and New Orleans, which worked well for the film’s purposes, providing a sophisticated and elegant background for the film. Rounding out the cast is Piper Laurie of The Hustler and Carrie fame, Julie Adams of The Creature from the Black Lagoon fame, and John McIntire of westerns Wagon Train and The Virginian fame.

Going into the film, I wasn’t expecting much; I’d assumed that much of its context would be lost to me given the passage of the time. Fortunately, I was mistaken, as the principles of the film are timeless and significant. Fair play seems to be the underlying principle of the film, and it is something that I’m sad to say that our protagonist rarely gets. Despite conducting himself with civility and class, those around him, those who supposedly grew up in the upper class, continuously revealed themselves to be his lessers. Take his interactions with Laurent Dureau, an entitled and conniving southern gentleman. Laurent early on shows himself to be the type who expects everything to be handed to him. For example, after losing consistently and amassing a significant debt to Fallon, he steals heirloom jewelry from his sister without her knowledge to pay the debt. When confronted with this treachery, he suggests Fallon cheated him rather than own up to his responsibilities. This has the unfortunate side effect of souring his sister Angelique’s perceptions of Fallon, who is quite taken with her.

I’ve never been much for spoof movies. There are some exceptions, like the first two Scary Movies or Don’t Be A Menace. However, for the most part, these types of movies have never resonated with me. The jokes are usually not of great quality and kind of cheesy. Unfortunately, The Big Bus fell into this category. From the premise, I couldn’t wrap my head around the plot of this movie. A nuclear-powered double-decker bus piloted by a disgraced bus driver accused of cannibalism. It just didn’t resonate with me. I understand that films of this type were popular during this time, such as Airplane and its sequel, but for me, I couldn’t get past the sheer ridiculousness of the film to get any enjoyment out of it. Of course, my opinion is not the be-all end-all, as my research suggests that the film has apparently obtained cult classic status in this genre as well as won the audience award at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival in 1977. So clearly someone enjoyed it. However, as you are reading this review, I will assume that you are interested in my opinion, and my opinion is that it was not for me.

In a nutshell, the film was advertised as the ultimate disaster movie parody. A state-of-the-art nuclear-powered bus created by the Coyote Bus Lines, named Cyclops, has been completed, potentially enabling non-stop service from New York City to Denver, Colorado, supposedly a new milestone in bus history. However, an act of sabotage nearly derails the project. Following the sabotage attempt, the bus is relatively unharmed, but the scientist in charge as well as the bus’s driver and co-driver are injured or worse. Desperate to complete the endeavor, Kitty Baxter (Stockard Channing) enlists the help of her old flame, Dan Torrance (Joseph Bologna). Torrance, a once promising driver, was disgraced after an accident on Mount Diablo, which led to the aforementioned cannibalism accusation. Let’s take a moment and reflect on what we know so far. What part of this film premise sounds remotely believable or realistic? Granted, I understand that the point is to make fun of disasters for the sake of slapstick fun. However, I just wasn’t able to suspend reality to enjoy the film. As I watched, I found myself just shaking my head as I repeated the same thing over and over: “a nuclear-powered double-decker bus.” I will say the say that the scene where a man fended off a room full of angry bus drivers with a milk carton did get a chuckle from me, but mainly due to the outlandishness of the idea. There was the “breaking wind” turn of phrase, which also was a bit on the ridiculous side, but did evoke a chuckle.