Backtrack (1990)

Directed by Dennis Hopper

Written by Rachel Kronstadt Mann and Ann Louise Bardach

This is a mob hitman sort of story. In the beginning Jodie Foster’s character accidentally comes upon a mob hit crime scene. After that the mobsters are after her. She has no faith in the cops protecting her after she sees one of the mob guys (played by Dean Stockwell) hanging out in the police station. So she escapes from the cops and the mobsters choosing to take her chances on her own.

The mobsters hire crack hitman Milo (Dennis Hopper) to track her down and eliminate her.

It’s kind of a chase action romance comedy, because Milo falls in love with his target.

It is all a bit preposterous and silly, but fun and shot in interesting locations.

It also contains a basic domination and submission emotional/sexual/love relationship. In a way the movie shows how these types of relationships could work in real life. It is noted that the movie, from 30 years ago, was written by two women. It might be thought of differently and frame this relationship in an entirely different way if it was from a male point of view.

It seems to work in the movie because the male is not at all sophisticated, or intelligent enough that it gets in the way of his basically innocent desires and needs. The woman, although in the movie caught in a bind with him, is far more intelligent. In a scene where he, in an innocent and child-like manner, demands that she put on fetich underwear, hose and garter belt, for him, she jokingly belittles his desire and sees the human pathos in his unselfconscious need that perhaps she can then eroticize to her own pleasure and her desire to be needed. He loves her and needs her in a way that he doesn't need to understand or try to examine, he is innocent and serious. He doesn't second guess love. Doubt can be harmful in relationships.

Otherwise he is quite capable in life, a male protector and quite capable of functioning as a man in the world of action and conflict.

Perhaps this play illustrates how these relationships can function and resolve to a confusing type of equal power.

The movie is interesting in offhandedly showing this.

Hopper's performance is delightfully ridiculous. He is very good in this. Jodie Foster powerful and attractive.

One of Dennis Hopper’s best movies.