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:

How far do they go before they've gone too far?

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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:

Fieberhaft

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$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

Tom Cruise turned down the part later played by Jason Patric, as he didn't like the idea of scenes involving him taking drugs.

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Goofs

There's a scene in which Raynor takes Kristen to a gravel pit. He separates a 6-pack of beer and twists the individual cans down into the dirt. Kristen empties a revolver at the cans, hitting four of them. Raynor retrieves the 2 remaining cans and gives one to Kristen. During their subsequent conversation, Kristen plays with the sta-tab on the can, except that the film is set in about 1972, and the sta-tabs didn't go into use until maybe 10 years later.

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Quotes

Jim Raynor: She's got an edge to her, don't she?
Dodd: Jimmy, the girl ran track somewhere, man. That doesn't mean you want her watching your back. Look it, Nettle ain't going to want to throw her in with you. First thing he'll think is you'll bang her. You know how he is about that. Second thing he thinks is if she gets hurt, how's that make the department look? Throwing a little girl like that into the world. Man, I can just hear what he's going to say.
Jim Raynor: She looks stout to me.

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Connections

Featured in Eric Clapton: Tears in Heaven (1991)

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Soundtracks

The South's Gonna Do It Again
Written by Charlie Daniels
Performed by The Charlie Daniels Band
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Thought Provoking

Rush was definitely interesting to watch, though not always pleasant to look at. Set amidst the war on drugs, this film challenges us to rethink this battle. Are the wasted resources really worth the hypocrisy and corruption that go hand in hand with the arrests? The movie was not extraordinary, but I did go away haunted by many of the prevalent themes.

The relationship between the two undercover agents was very intriguing. I would have liked to have seen a bit more development before they became so involved, but nevertheless, their support of each other, alone in a world they don't belong in, is very interesting. Their different descents, and partial ascents accross the blurred line of addiction gives merit to the portrayal of this affliction. I would definitely recommend Rush for those who have second thoughts about the war on drugs. This film shows us that the worlds of the law breakers and the law enforcers may not be so far apart after all.