Backtrace (2018)
Backtrace is a crime thriller centered on memory loss, greed, and the inescapable weight of past actions. The story follows MacDonald “Mac” Porter, a hardened career criminal who survives a violent armored-truck robbery that leaves his entire crew dead. During the botched escape, Mac suffers a severe head injury that wipes his memory completely—including the crucial detail everyone wants most: where the stolen millions are hidden.
Mac is placed in a secure mental health facility, heavily guarded and closely monitored. Law enforcement believes that if Mac’s memories return, the stolen money can finally be recovered. Assigned to the case is veteran detective Sykes, a relentless officer who has spent years chasing criminals like Mac and is determined to close the case before corruption and violence take over. Sykes believes memory is the key—but also a dangerous weapon.
Inside the facility, Mac is subjected to experimental drug therapy designed to trigger memory recovery. The treatment works slowly, producing disturbing flashes of the past—gunshots, betrayal, blood-soaked streets—but not enough to reveal the money’s location. As Mac’s memories begin to resurface, so does his violent nature. His confusion and paranoia increase, making him unpredictable and dangerous.
Meanwhile, multiple criminal factions close in. Former associates, mercenaries, and corrupt law enforcement officials all want Mac extracted from custody. Their motives differ, but the goal is the same: force Mac to remember where the money is hidden. A coordinated assault on the mental facility erupts into chaos, turning a place meant for healing into a battleground.
Mac escapes during the violence, fleeing into the desert with his fractured memories chasing him. Detective Sykes pursues him relentlessly, while rival criminals hunt him with deadly intent. As pressure mounts, Mac’s memory finally returns in full. He realizes the heist was doomed from the start, fueled by greed and betrayal, and that the money has only brought death and suffering.
In the final confrontation, Mac faces the consequences of his past. Detective Sykes confronts him not just as a criminal, but as a man destroyed by his own choices. The truth about the stolen money is revealed, but it offers no victory—only closure.
Backtrace is a dark, gritty crime film about how the past can never truly be erased. Even when memories disappear, guilt, violence, and consequence always find their way back.
https://youtu.be/hlzWwei5gw0
