FeatureR1988·93m·4.8

Backfire

Before the night is over... someone will be rich, someone will be dead, someone will be avenged.

ThrillerDramaMystery

Mara McAndrew's marriage is falling apart. Her husband, Donnie, a Vietnam veteran, suffers troubling flashbacks about the war, leaving him unresponsive to her needs. Mara wants out, but she also wants Donnie's money. When Mara meets a mysterious stranger, Reed, at a local bar, she believes she has found the right person to help her out of her predicament. But Mara worries that Donnie's sister, Jill, is on to her.

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Cast

Karen Allen

Mara McAndrew

Keith Carradine

Reed

Jeff Fahey

Donnie McAndrew

Bernie Casey

Clinton James

Dean Paul Martin

Jake

Virginia Capers

Maxine

Philip Sterling

Dr. Creason

Dinah Manoff

Jill

Frances Flanagan

Claire

Antony Holland

Judge Hardin

Dwight Koss

Deputy 'Buzz'

Gordon McIntosh

Big George

Wendy Van Riesen

Alice

Eric Schneider

Dr. Cooper

Enid Saunders

Aunt Elizabeth

Jay Brazeau

Junior

Lesley Ewen

Dispatcher

Dwight McFee

Searcher #1

Kim Kondrashoff

Searcher #2

Brian Linds

Bob

Details

Status
Released
Original language
English
Languages
English
Budget
Revenue
Age rating
R
Quality
4K UHD · HDR10 · Dolby Vision
Production
ITC Entertainment

Crew

Director

Gilbert Cates

Writers

Larry Brand, Rebecca Reynolds

David Shire

Original Music Composer

Tak Fujimoto

Director of Photography

Melvin Shapiro

Editor

Andrew Brown

Costume Design

Daniel A. Lomino

Production Design

Anna Hill Johnstone

Costume Design

Gallery

Reviews

kevin2019

7/12/2024

8.0

"Backfire" is an exceedingly strong film from the very beginning and it easily leads the viewer astray on many occasions, especially after Mara is forced into the position where she must return home with Donny following his presumably failed suicide attempt - he has stipulated in some legal paperwork she will have power of attorney should he ever become incapacitated - and she must subsequently contend with the intrusive interference of Donny's sister Jill. This development narrows and sharpens the focus of the entire film and the true architect of everything which has been happening neatly harks back to the frequent visual references to Donny's traumas in Vietnam. The pace has also been tightly wrought throughout to achieve maximum effectiveness and potential and it continually manages to shatter expectations and anticipations to create an extremely poignant and memorable portrait of true friendship.