Review of Rush

Rush (1991)
7/10
Leigh and Patrick deliver academy award worthy performances in this gritty, stark drama.
20 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILERS THROUGH:

I read the book "Rush" as well and found both the book and the film to be very good. The supporting cast was incredible. And The performances from the two leads are as good as it gets and about as good as Leigh and Patrick get. If one were to doubt the acting ability of either of these two people, they'd need only to see this film. Both of them immerse themselves in their roles and the fact that they are performers playing a part, really does disappear. It was two excellent casting choices, casting these two as the police officers.

The movie itself is moody, grim, and, at times brutal, but it always stays interesting. I loved the southern feel of the film and think the atmospheric cinematography was spot on. Rush is really thought provoking and the performances from Patrick and Leigh, being really much more then merely good, were both academy award worthy. They also had an incredibly strong amount of on screen chemistry and that chemistry adds a lot to this film.

Rush is a very difficult film to watch because of the subject matter. This is both an anti drug film and a crime film and so there's not exactly a lot of sweetness and light but the film is very well made and the supporting performers deserve a lot of kudos as well. Because of just how stark and grim the film is, with less talented people it may have become to difficult to watch but this movie is performance driven and always keeps one watching.

The story and characters are complex, and watching this one does kind of forget it's a movie as the film plays like a volcano about to erupt and a lot of different feelings are felt when watching this. There were a lot of films being made around this time about drugs and though this isn't my favorite, it is one of the most complex and well acted.

The main negatives are the slow moving nature of the film, the extreme talky quality and the mood of the film in general which is so gloomy it's tough to get through at times. There's a lot of violence, a lot of drug use and a lot of people getting hurt or killed. The story however, as grim as it is, is also fascinating and it's almost impossible not to get hooked in. The ending is full of questions and a bit more ambiguous then I would have liked(it also differs from the book). Rush isn't going to be for everybody but I liked the film and loved the performances from everyone. I'd give this a 7.5 of 10.
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