Trackdown is another of those well made flicks of the Seventies. The film, though dry in parts, pulls you in with a story, with not such a happy ending, tragic and shocking. The film with it's good intentions, does turn nasty, yet is violently effective, one could say. It's not what you foresee in the early part of this film, especially if judging it, against the country song in the opening. The scenario here has been done, many times, but the nasty turn of incident here, ups the film's merit. We have a bored, young and beautiful girl, (Karen Lamm, who in real life, died quite young, I believe) who's 'spose to be 17. She sets out for Hollywood, leaving her farm and Mumsie behind, who we never see, where we apparently learn from the small informing dialogue, things aren't quite particularly great between the two. Big ox of a brother (Jim Mitcham- Yes Robert's son) returns and sets out to save her. Lamm quickly ends up in a slick sex slavery operation as a high priced call girl, run by a notorious older pimp, Johnny D, who fronts a topless dancer and entertainment agency. An older woman, also in the rackets, and is obviously doing Jonhny D (a younger Ann Archer, at her sexiest) befriends her, while stubborn and determined Mitchum, kicks down doors, and causes a ruckus, trying to find Sis, almost passing her in one scene. What are the chances? He teams up with a young hustler (Chip's Erik Estrada) who was bedding her, while also working with a pretty social worker (Cathy Lee Crosby) who tells the stubborn headed Mitchum, in a heated moment, "The kids run away, cause the parents are such idiots". Mitchum, who's never really been to Hollywood before, as we can gather, later tells Crosby "I've been a hunter all my life. A hunter survives on instinct, and right now my instinct's telling me, it's not good". He couldn't be more right. Sadly, the last thirty minutes of Trackdown is the strongest, starting with that one brutal scene in the bedroom, and in how Mitchum and company use their smarts to gain revenge. Mitchum's character, a man with a plan, you do root for, but too you can't help get angry at him, to how he's ended up in this position, as you don't believe for two secs, he wants to take a step back, and think how this could of been prevented. In this secret context, Mitchum's character is used as an illustration. We need to focus on the problem, for every runaway, so we can prevent kids taking off, with some not so happy fates ensuing. Trackdown isn't the best movie of this kind, but it's a well worth insight into how these sort of things go down, and how the these scumbags operate in a not half bad movie, considering it's era. Trying to Trackdown Trackdown on VHS, etc, well all I can say, is, I wish the best of luck. See what little of Mitchum's face muscles move, or is it, a play down on his character. You decide.
