I just saw the new Stallone starrer Backtrace. Check around and you'll see this is not getting good reviews at all. I certainly agree with them.
Stallone is hardly in the movie that much - perhaps 15 to 20 minutes max; beginning and end mainly - and gets second billing to, errm, yes, Ryan Guzman! He definitely did a Willis and did this movie strictly for the $$$.
Watch if you want to be bored, are not bothered about seeing lots of Stallone (obviously the main draw!), enjoy crappy dialogue, have an interest in old factory buildings (!) and like plot holes a plenty.
On a positive note Stallone, in the brief time that he did appear in the movie, put more effort in than Willis ever gave in his past outings with Brian A. Miller. But overall it's still a below average dtv/vod movie from a below average director.
Just done watching it....and was pleasantly surprised. No world beater, but a solid, lean thriller (and given it's short running time...little filler)
It sort of reminded me of a few recent movies (Criminal, Stand-Off, Unchained) but despite it's unoriginality, I was never bored with it. Armed with the many bad reviews this movie has garnered, I was expecting far worse.
Stallone's scenes were interspaced throughout the movie, with enough regularity, to not notice how long his screen-time was...or wasn't (but he was in pretty much every 3-4th scene) and the movie only ran about 85 minutes (with full end credits, anyhow) I may have to go back and 'add-up' his screen-time (but I think it was more than 20 minutes?)
I'll also stand by my assertion that this movie was (clearly) better than anything Seagal has lent his name to, in the past few decades....by the fact that this was a coherent (if unambitious) movie with genuine performances. A movie with not only a 'Script' and production values, but also a begining, middle and end (however 'generic') and not some hastily put together patch-work of scenes to accomodate/fit round limited screen time of a star.
Matthew Modine was pretty good (as was the underrated Christopher McDonald) and Stallone was....Stallone, I guess? Even his 'B-Game' is better than most others 'A-Games'.
I think the bad press, lowered my expectations and helped me enjoy the movie for what it actually was (a small-scale thriller) I've come not to care too much for reviews (professional or otherwise) because (by and large) the same people badmouthing this movie....are likely praising garbage like 'Creed II' (or whatever 'Superhero' movie that's clogging up the multiplexes at the moment?)
This is the sort of movie that Seagal should (and easily 'could') make....The problem however, is Seagal (sadly)