Tough, nasty, and violent,
Trackdown tells the story of a
modern-day cowboy who travels to the big city because his little sister has
gone missing, then dives headlong into a cesspool of human exploitation and
organized crime while looking for his lost sibling. The movie is something of a
cousin to Paul Schrader’s provocative Hardcore
(1979), although Schrader’s movie deals with pornography instead of
prostitution, and there’s a big gulf between the theologically charged Hardcore and the no-frills Trackdown. Still, what both movies share
is the rich premise of a man from a simple place wading through the muck of
late-’70s Los Angeles, where pretty dreamers looking for new opportunities are
easy prey for flesh merchants. In fact, had a stronger actor been cast in the
lead of Trackdown, the movie might
have found a niche among the era’s memorable exploitation films, since it
benefits from a well-constructed plot, interesting supporting characters, and
vivid action scenes. Alas, while James Mitchum inherited his father Robert’s
hangdog eyes and hulking physique, he didn’t get his dad’s charisma or talent.
The picture begins with Betsy Calhoun (Karen Lamm) running away from her Montana
home and taking a bus to Hollywood. Almost immediately after her arrival, she’s
mugged by a group of Latino street toughs, but one of the Latinos takes
sympathy on her plight. He’s Chucho (Erik Estrada). Chucho gives Lynn a place
to crash and a lead on work, so they become friends—but Chucho’s cronies have
designs on the pretty blonde. They kidnap and drug Lynn, delivering her to
Johnny Dee (Vince Cannon), a mob-connected pimp. He entrusts Lynn to
high-priced call girl Barbara (Anne Archer), who offers to train Lynn as a
prostitute. In one of the picture’s most interesting nuances, Lynne accepts the
overture after she’s recovered from
the influence of drugs—as she explains, there’s a reason she left small-town
America for the bright lights and endless promise of the Golden State. Once
Lynn’s brother, Jim (Mitchum), shows up to “rescue” her, he quickly learns that
he’s looking for someone who doesn’t want to be found.
Lest the preceding give
the false impression that Trackdown
is a sensitive exploration of human feeling, it should be emphasized that Trackdown is a lowbrow thrill ride.
(Note the fact that Cathy Lee Crosby, who plays a social worker and provides a
love interest for Mitchum’s character, spends most of the movie wearing
skin-tight jeans and revealing tied-off shirts.) Nonetheless, the filmmakers
take their time establishing characters and situations in logical ways, so once
the shooting starts, there’s a believable emotional context. Furthermore, while
one might expect this sort of film to be presented in the grungy style of a
Roger Corman-produced quickie, Trackdown
instead has the look of a studio picture, and the polished images get juiced by
tasty, disco-infused musical scoring.
Trackdown:
FUNKY
