Name: Film Review: Rush (1991)
Item: Rush
Rating: 60
Author: @drax

(source: tmdb.org)

Lili Flin Zanuck, third wife of legendary producer Richard F. Zanuck, made career by working with her husband on some of his films, but she is also an accomplished producer in her own right, both on film and television. One of the more interesting titles in her filmography is 1991 crime drama Rush, the only feature film she directed.

The film is based on eponymous semi-autobiographical novel by Kim Wozencraft, inspired by author’s experiences as undercover policewoman in East Texas during late 1970s. The plot is set in fictional Texas town in mid 1970s and begins when experienced undercover policeman Jim Raynor (played by Jason Patric) is told by his superior Captain Dodd (played by Sam Elliott) that he would require partner for next ambitious operation against network of local drug dealers. Raynor, much to Dodd’s surprise, picks young and inexperienced policewoman Kristen Cates (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh). Two of them are supposed to pose as couple of drug addicts in order to buy as much drugs as possible and thus get incriminating evidence. Raynor explains to Cates that pretending to be an addict isn’t enough and that two of them must be prepared to actually consume drugs in front of dealers in order to maintain the cover. Raynor claims that he can do it in a way that prevents him from actually becoming addict, but as months go by, Cates, who became Raynor’s lover, learns otherwise. She barely manages to kick the habit herself, while Raynor is close to become complete wreck. To make things worse, despite collecting evidence against large number of dealers, ambitious police chief Nettles (played by Tony Frank) insists that Raynor and Cates set trap against powerful suspected drug lord Will Gaines (played by Greg Allman), despite him being extremely cautious. Two undercover policemen in desperation agree to instead plant evidence against Gaines, which would lead to disastrous consequences.

Rush is relatively obscure film, despite relatively large budget and being made during the zenith of War on Drugs, when its subject was supposed to be quite relevant to potential audience. Reasons why film failed to get proper attention and box office success can be best explained by script by Pete Dexter which tried to as faithful to the novel as possible and presented the plot in realistic, un-Hollywood and rather unattractive manner. Rush is set in mid 1970s, but there is relatively little period detail that could cause nostalgia; small town setting seems banal compared to big cities and there is relatively little actual action. Furthermore, duo of protagonists are depicted as rather unattractive people. That includes Jason Patric who, despite his good looks, plays a loser who, despite claims to the contrary, quickly succumbs to the temptation provided by drugs. Jennifer Jason Leigh, actress at the time specialised in difficult and thankless roles of abused and exploited women, provides another great performance. She is very good in the role of a woman which begins and naive, transforms into junkie and, finally, manages to somehow restore her grip on reality. That includes not only displays of sad realities of drug addiction, but also raw but rather non-erotic sex scene that some in the audience might characterise as too exploitative and unnecessary. Sam Elliott is, on the other hand, somewhat underused as Raynor’s friend and mentor, while famous musician Gregg Allman, apparently aware of the lack of his acting ability, has hardly any dialogue in the film. The best acting job is provided by Max Perlich in the role of small-time dealer turned informant, the only character that actually gets seriously bothered with moral implications of situation he found himself in. Zanuck as director does solid, although not particularly inspired job, and has some issues of maintaining proper pace. Some effort was invested in music, including score by Eric Clapton and his song “Tears of Heaven” that actually became a hit. The somewhat enigmatic ending leaves something to be desired, but Rush nevertheless can be recommended as interesting depiction of human cost of War on Drugs and good reminder that even people who are supposed to fight drugs could benefit from listening to words “Just say no”.

RATING: 6/10 (++)