Rush (1991)

Two small-town Texas cops go undercover to catch a major drug dealer and are sucked into the drug culture, compromising their assignment.

Director:

Lili Fini Zanuck

Writers:

Kim Wozencraft (book), Peter Dexter (screenplay) (as Pete Dexter)

Stars:

Jason Patric, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sam Elliott

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Patric	...	Jim Raynor
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Kristen Cates
Sam Elliott	...	Dodd
Max Perlich	...	Walker
Gregg Allman	...	Gaines
Tony Frank	...	Nettle
William Sadler	...	Monroe
Special K. McCray	...	Willie Red
Dennis Letts	...	Senior District Attorney
Dennis Burkley	...	Motorcycle Guy
Glenn Wilson	...	Motorcycle Guy
Jimmy Ray Pickens	...	Man in Disco (as Jimmy Pickens)
Barbara Lasater	...	Yellow Rose Bartender
Toni Pilgreen	...	Driller's Waitress
Merrill Connally	...	Defense Attorney

Storyline

Raynor is an undercover narcotics cop. For his next assignment he chooses the more inexperienced but tough and good-looking Kristen. Their ultimate target is Gaines, a renowned but very elusive drug dealer. While doing their work they unexpectedly fall into a morass of drug-addiction and fall in love with each other. Despite subjecting themselves to the life of low-class, one-track junkies they do not get the evidence they want to convict Gaines, and instead are forced into using false evidence in court.

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Plot Keywords:

pizzeria | billiards | police officer | watching television | payphone | 

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Taglines:

Somewhere between the buy, and the high... they forgot they were cops.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic drug use and for sensuality, language and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rush

Filming Locations:

The Swinging Door - 3818 Farm to Market 359, Richmond, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,890, 22 December 1991

Gross USA:

$7,241,350

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,241,350

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), The Zanuck Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the cast gathered together for the first time, they were either too shy or reluctant to speak to each other. Sam Elliott, hand outstretched, walked over to Greg Allman, a member of the Allman Brothers Band, and said, 'I have all your albums.' This broke the ice, and the cast followed suit.

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Goofs

When talking with Kristen outside the hotel, Dodd's tie is loosened about 5 inches and cocked to his right. When he enters the room and talks with Jimmy, his tie is barely loosened and directly under his throat.

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Quotes

Kristen: Yeah, but it's a fine line, Dodd.

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Connections

Featured in Eric Clapton: Tears in Heaven (1991)

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Soundtracks

Angel From Montgomery
Written by John Prine
Performed by Bonnie Raitt
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Excellent drama, much better than expected

I watched this only because Sam Elliott was in it, expecting little from Patric & Leigh, whom I looked upon as TV-quality lightweights. I was quite wrong -- both can act with great strength when given a quality script (a rare item in Hollywood). This is an intense, driven tale about undercover cops firmly entangled in the drug underworld, with the criminal activity and hypocrisy evenly spread between the cops and the dealers. The accuracy of this portrayal and the obvious futility of the "War on Drugs" explain why this film was hammered loudly by the police departments, newspapers and mainstream critics. To anyone who hasn't spent time around serious junkies this film will be a bit of a jolt, but it's the best and most honest portrayal of this world ever put on film.

This is definitely not your standard two-cop "buddy" films that spew forth so often from the Hollywood colon. The story is not predictable, nor is the ending....nor the ending after that ending. Scripts like this are jolting because they make you realize just how awful most of the other films actually are.

Some of the secondary actors turn in surprisingly nice jobs here. Sam Elliott turns in his usual good work, always enjoyable, but several others are well worth mention: Max Perlich, the pathetic little snitch, and Gregg Allman, who with almost no dialogue does a very convincing portrayal of a malevolent local crime kingpin.

This is one of those rare movies where the soundtrack is worth owning. Eric Clapton does a superb score, and his selection of music for the saloon and drug den scenes is masterful.

I've watched this three times, each a few years apart, and it gets better each time. The film doesn't have rely on fancy car chases, lengthy gunfights or comic relief. It's simply a fine film done by craftsmen -- a rare treat indeed.