Rush

Running time: N/A

It is highly unlikely that the people who begin using drugs think themselves weak enough to lose control of their lives. It is the common delusion that "will power" alone can halt their use of addictive substances. In spite of the overwhelming amount of testimonies which contradict this thought, the population of drug-users increases each year. Rush is the story of two undercover narcotics agents who get badly hooked on the drugs they are buying and illegally using. Raynor (Jason Patric) fancies himself "master of the drug world", knowing how to fool the big-time dealers, and actually shoots drugs himself, in their presence, so they feel he cannot possibly be a cop. He explains to Kristen (Jennifer Jason Leigh) that she may have to shoot drugs, too, because the penalty for being caught by the bad guys is death. "Sure," he says, "you might get hooked, but it's easy to kick with a few days of sweaty sheets." The movie depends on the performances of Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and they pull it off without a hint of inexperience at either acting or drug abuse. In fact, their performances are so real, it has to be questioned whether or not they actually took the drugs during the filming. Inspired by a true story, Rush marks the directorial debut of Lili Zanuck (co-producer of Driving Miss Daisy), but feels like the work of a more experienced director, especially with the adept eye is has taken to completely capture the story of drugs. First you use drugs, then they use you. --Mike Rabehl