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.
A disillusioned Los Angeles detective finds himself drawn into a dangerous investigation when his former lover, a woman with a past tied to organized crime, reappears in his life. As he delves deeper, he uncovers a complex web of corruption and betrayal that forces him to confront his own demons and question who he can trust. The case escalates, putting his life and the lives of those around him in grave danger.
Backfire received a mixed to negative reception from critics. While some praised its attempt at a gritty neo-noir atmosphere and the performances of its lead actors, many found the plot to be convoluted and predictable. The film struggled to find a significant audience and is often overlooked in discussions of 1980s crime thrillers.
Google audience: Audience reviews for Backfire are scarce, but the limited feedback available suggests viewers found the film to be a standard crime thriller with some engaging elements, though it did not stand out as particularly memorable.
The film was shot on location in Los Angeles, attempting to capture the city's urban landscape as a character in itself, a common trope in neo-noir films.
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