Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Absolutely the worst movie.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Sorry, there are some (mild) spoilers here.The sad thing about this movie is that there was a decent story there, but instead of telling that, everyone focused on building up to a twist, and then overemphasized that part with dark rainy broody moody mumbled boo-o-o-o-ring haunting of a completely unlikable unsympathetic character. The one ghost (the daughter) that maybe should have haunted the protagonist was apparently on vacation. The other ghosts gathered at the office but I don't understand why, when there was a much more obvious and guilty person to haunt. Really, this film could have worked well without all the damn ghosts, that brought nothing to the table except for annoying sound effects and hackneyed movie 'scares' we've seen too many times. The reveal was rushed and downright silly. If ghosts had all that power, then why bother with the first part? And would the ghost of the mother killed in the train wreck really be willing to risk her daughter's life so another ghost can get revenge? I'd predict more infighting among the ghosts... now that could have been a movie! Although many people seem to like Brody's 'acting', it seemed cardboard to me. I could not connect to his supposed grief/guilt, or that he had any relationship with his sleeping wife, or that he had lost a child. None of that resonated. Also, and I realize that it is a trend now, but what is with the 5 minutes plus of credits?

This was clearly not my cuppa tea, but seen as part of AACTA member screenings for 2016, 'Backtrack' has some significant qualities, most of all the committed performance of Adrien Brody who not only keeps the viewer thoroughly hooked and tense, but delivers a surprisingly convincing Australian accent in this horror/mystery/supernatural melange of a movie. Casting George Shevtsov as the father to Brody's character was a stroke of genius as there are few actors on the planet with the sort of aquiline features that the Oscar winner has. And to find an actor in Australia who has the gravitas to match! This lends important authenticity to an otherwise pretty bizarre and twisted tale. There is something very nasty & violent at the core of 'Backtrack' despite Brody's sympathetic portrayal, I was mostly disinterested in the content; especially the zombie/ghost inclusions.Like I disclaimer-ed, this is not my sort of movie, but the soundscape is suitably moody and tense, and the camera work with masterful editing give this film its very self conscious and abrupt narrative. Having Sam Neill in the cast is always a bonus, but the film is all too often too moody and arty for its own good, with the viewer left scrambling to make head or tail of what has or hasn't happened to the protagonist. The score is a little too intrusive and signposting the text and the subtext, instead of allowing the ideas to present naturally. I can see 'Backtrack' finding an audience, as it is most definitely a genre piece and there is a hunger for this sort of entertainment. It is well made, and on the whole well acted. Robin McLeavy is especially convincing in a supporting role and has terrific presence on screen. I watched the movie as Adrien Brody is a great actor, but there's enough tragedy and dysfunction in the world for me to be too engaged or enraptured with 'Backtrack' and its psycho horror tale. At the end of the movie, it is for all intents and purposes, a pretty conventional mystery dressed up as much more. For the aficionados only@!

Maybe I was in one of my rare good moods, but there could've been worse ways to spend 90 minutes than watching Backtrack. Yes, I did think the movie plodded along slowly, but given what it was supposed to be - an atmospheric thriller - it did that well, so I can't complain.Technically, this film has been made before in some other kind of iteration so the reveal wasn't that surprising. The music carried the movie well as did the acting; it only falls into cliché land with some of the more predictable ghostly elements, something that's very common in Korean films these days.The movie wasn't a waste of time. Is it a must see? Not really; there isn't really anything here you've never seen before. I just thought that watching it didn't feel like a waste of time like a lot of other travesties I've been exposed to.

A small psychological thriller, produced and shot in Australia.A psychologist is haunted by hallucinations and his past. I don't want to say more as not to spoil the movie.Adrien Brody does his best with the material he's given and the movie isn't bad, but it's definitely lacking. It's very slow, the plot isn't strong enough and the ending isn't great. Also, you'll have to suspend your disbelief in order to accept some of the elements.Many elements reminded me of the movie THE MACHINIST, but obviously this one isn't nearly as good.Still, if you're in the mood for a slow psychological thriller, you might enjoy it.