Rush (1991)

This is by far Jason Patric's best role. Even better than Sleepers and that's saying something. While he is not the best actor and will likely never receive any serious acclaim, he serves this role up realistically. The downward spiral that he slips into as the good cop gone rogue is believable. I came to realize that this could really happen when deep undercover gets too deep. Look for Greg Allman in an amazing performance in a role that was tailor-made just for him. The ultimate gangster/biker/outlaw long before Sons of Anarchy was conceived.

As an ex-addict (who am I a fooling, I'll always be an addict for life), this movie plays to exactly how an addict works in life. You will do whatever you have to do to get that high. Whether it be coke, heroin, speed, etc. this movie portrays it perfectly. Once you have done heroin, there is no turning back. Yes, it is that addictive. I'm not a big coke fan, but Meth (Speed)is damned addictive and good luck getting off of it once you have started. This movie portrays this perfectly, as Jennifer J. Leigh is going through the carpet and snorting whatever Meth she has found (I've done the same and it is a terrible thing).The message of this movie is perfectly clear. Do NOT put yourself in the position to get strung out on any of this stuff. It will ruin your life, like it ruined mine.Is there anything better than a shot of heroin? No...There is not. Is there anything better than being high on Meth? No, there is not. STAY AWAY FROM IT ALL OR IT WILL WRECK YOUR LIFE AS IT DID MINE!!!Drugs are a great escape until you find out it is too late and in up in rehab (which I did). Even after rehab I went back to using. Yep....It is that hard a habit to break.I am in a Methadone clinic now, but getting close to getting out.Bottom line? Don't mess with any of this stuff if you want to keep a clean life.God bless.

Todd's review was accurate but as a conservative myself I feel as though the very anti-drug message sent by this movie isn't really a political thing, it's a common sense thing and it has never been conservatives trying to censor American from the realisms we face in society I think I remember the liberal agenda around this time being to put warning labels on everything, so I agree that our society was changing as a whole on what was put on the screen but neither party was holding movies like this one back I feel that conservatives as a whole would like the adult to make a decision on what they want to see or if they see it and the left would like the Government to make everyones decisions for them. Just a thought and very very good acting in this one

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.