La grande traque

Back when I was in school and my classmates were "Stayin' Alive" or tripping through "A Galaxy Far, Far Away", I preferred to take my best girl to some very good movies - Trackdown is one of these movies. James Mitchum is as good as any. Though the plot is a little thin, Mitchum's on-screen presence continued to bring the story together to it's inevitable conclusion. Guys, rent it - you'll be glad you did!

While not totally bad, this is no classic. It's more like a made-for-TV movie with some B actors and a humdrum storyline. I was a pretty avid moviegoer in the '70s and I never saw this. Jim Mitchum was probably at his best in this one, which pretty well sums up his career.

Erik Estrada turned in his usual performance, which wouldn't impress anyone who wasn't already impressed with his looks. Erik had his turn on TV as a heartthrob for the young female TV fans, and this isn't his usual kind of work, but he did OK in the role.

The production values are pretty low, the writing is kind of poor, and the whole point of the film still isn't clear to me. If it was ever released to theaters, I missed it. I know that there were some memorable films made in the '70s, but this isn't one of them.

It might paint itself as a rough and tumble, by-the-numbers 70s revenge thriller and for most part it's typically generic in its story's progression, but there are some strong themes and capable performances by its cast led by Jim Mitchum and Cathy Lee Crosby. There's a brutal and downbeat side to some scenarios, but never does it becomes overly exploitative despite its angle on forced prostitution and underground violence. The bad guys are scum… truly scum. Where the seedy backdrop of Los Angeles breeds crime and those people take advantage of young naïve runaways looking to hit it big in LA. Some sequences do pack a punch and the script, while not entirely rounded does do enough to evoke some emotional pull when it comes to the overall payback.

Sixteen year old Betsy Calhoun flees from her Montana ranch heading to Los Angeles, but her dreams soon become a nightmare when she's kidnapped and sold to a prostitution ring. Her older brother Jim heads to Los Angeles to find her, but finds little help until he meets a social worker and a former gang member who knew of his sister's kidnapping.

Jim Mitchum in the lead role is stolid, but fitting with a more psychical performance told through his facials and in doing so making it more effective. You do feel his pain. He shares good chemistry with a head strong Crosby. Half of the film focuses on his search, while the other follows that of Karen Lamm's wholesome turn as Betsy. Watching how she becomes a prostitute, to how she copes with it and the touching relationship she forms with Anne Archer's prostitute character. Some moments do have a disturbing edge. Not unexpected, but they're powerful because there's enough time invested in these characters. So the story moves between different plot arches before all coming together and offering a surprise or so.

The film looks bare-bones and on the cheap, but it remains authentic with its on shot locations and gritty action exchanges. Nothing about the direction really ignites itself, but there are set-pieces that craft out an exciting barrage of vicious violence. Like the intense gunfire jousting involving moving lifts was a nice touch. Its plain look might have that made for TV feel, but it doesn't hurt it. At times it can be slow and talky, but its steady handling keeps to its strengths and never over delivers on the old-hat set-up.

"You know. You're breaking my chops".

I want this movie so bad. This was the best movie that I have ever seen and I've seen a lot of good movies. I saw it for the first time while my husband and I were stationed in Germany, the same year it came out. I've never seen it again. Not even as a classic on TV. Can't buy it on VHS or DVD, and believe me, I've been trying to track this movie down for over 25 years. I tried to order it recently, but it was not the same movie, different characters, different plot, but the same title. The performance of Anne Archer, Erik Estrada, not to mention James Mitchem was magnificent. I fell in love with Anne Archer, not only was she classy as prostitute, she befriended the young girl, and tried to help her as much as she could. My sister saw this movie in 1999 on TV, while visiting Aurora, CO. It was on the Turner Classics Network I believe.

Please find this movie. A movie this good should have been put on video immediately.

I like Trackdown, it's the typical B-movie with bad acting, especially the main character, who has no feelings at all, not even when he saw his sister's corpse in the morgue, some nudity, bullets and blows. Typical of the exploitation of the 70s and 80s, Hollywood Boulevard is used as the epicentre of crime, the characters are looking for luck and who to take advantage of, like that duo in Midnight Cowboy 1969. What I must say, and it's a shame, is that Trackdown lacks a soundtrack to support it firmly, normally this kind of films are supported by songs or musical genres that are in vogue at the time of filming, which gives them a certain air of interest apart from some poor cinematography or script. In short, the 70s are well reflected here cinematically, and it's good for a Sunday afternoon.