Backflash Reviews

This enterprising sex-and-larceny B-movie is livelier than many bigger-budgeted Hollywood efforts. Roy (Robert Patrick) regains consciousness after getting conked on the head in a seedy motel room, and the film flashes back to the events leading up to his assault. Just a few days earlier, Roy was a small-town video-store owner with cash-flow problems and dating issues. His routine life is turned upside-down when he offers a ride to sultry, hitchhiking ex-con Harley (Jennifer Esposito), who's back from a stretch in jail. Harley has a major chip on her shoulder and has already managed to irritate her former employer, Gin (Colm Meaney), and his money-laundering associates. Harley used to be a money runner for Gin, but she and her boyfriend, Lenny (Brian Abercrombie), dipped into the till. Lenny died in a car explosion, but Gin's boss wants the $2 million that Harley and Lenny stashed away in a bank safety deposit box. In order to get at the cash, Harley needs a new partner who can masquerade as her polyester-clad hubby and get them past the bank personnel; that's where patsy Roy comes in. Gin responds by importing a hit man, Vinnie Pippolino (Kyle T. Heffner), to help his local goon squad waylay Harley. Roy, smitten with Harley, complies with her plans; she plays him for a sap. After the money has been retrieved, Harley's secret partner turns up and demands she kill Roy. But is Roy as gullible as he seems? This astringent crime flick features sharp badinage, steamy chemistry between the leads and attitude to burn. The characters are quirky (hot weather-hating Gin cools off by collecting Christmas memorabilia) without being annoying, and the double crosses are intricate enough to fool the most astute film noir buffs.