Hey gang, Valkor here. And I’m dipping back into MediaView, which hasn’t been getting much love lately, but that’s about to change in the coming days. Up next on the chopping block is a film that deals with two lovers getting mixed up in a series of fortunate/unfortunate events… with a twist. The film is called “Rushlights” and it’s not as action-packed as the box art leads it to be, but it was still a good watch.
In Rushlights, Billy (Josh Henderson) and waitress Sarah (Haley Webb) are like two ships passing in the night… er day, who finally decide to get together. But things don’t go so well when Sarah’s roommate Ellen suddenly dies after an overdose and Sarah calls on her new beau for help. Rather than go to the police, the Billy decides that they should make a break for it. They stop at a truck stop diner, where Sarah assesses her things that Billy haphazardly tossed into a bag for her. Amongst the items that are not hers, she finds a letter addressed to Ellen about inheriting a fortune from her recently deceased uncle in Texas. So Billy concocts a plan – since Sarah is the spitting image of Ellen, plus they just happen to have her ID, why not take advantage of the situation, drive down and claim the money. After they arrive, they meet up with the lawyer Cameron (Aidan Quinn), who gives them the lay of the land and gives them the 411 of what happened to the uncle. The house is kind of ragged, but hey they’re about to get their hands on a fortune and live happily ever after right? WRONG!
And oh does it go very wrong for the couple; for starters, the house is on the outskirts of a small town and the local sheriff, named Brogden (Beau Bridges), is none too pleased with newcomers, especially newcomers who’ve come to his town during a recent surge in crimes. So guess who gets all of his attentions? Next, the twosome was also followed by Ellen’s dealer Eddie (Crispian Belfrage), who is looking to collect on Ellen’s past debts. And finally there’s the will, which looks like it may be contested as it’s revealed that the uncle may or may not have had a son. And THAT opens up another can of worms as secrets are revealed about the uncle, the truth comes out about his son and you know Sarah and Billy are gonna bump heads about the money. And it all finishes with one climatic showdown.
But I have to commend Billy for sticking it out with Sarah, even though it was his plan to scheme the money in the first place; I mean if it had been me, I would have noped it out of there so fast after seeing Ellen dead. But that’s neither here nor there, so let’s see if this film is worth anyone’s time in the TOV Breakdown.
The Good:
I don’t know why, but I ended up actually watching Rushlights like three times – THREE! That’s unheard of for me. But damn that’s how good the story was. It’s a well thought out little drama that’s a bit clunky and under developed in some areas - going off the rails from the main story, but overall I was pleased with just about everything this film had to offer up, which is a decent little crime drama. The plot is very “Bonnie and Clyde-esque”, as the two stay on the run leaving death in their wake (not much by their own hand). Beyond that, the story is pretty straightforward with a few uncomplicated twists tossed in. There isn’t too much tension, but more on that in the next section, but still there’s enough going on that’ll hold your attention until the end. The acting is on the money, with everyone doing their part justly. However, if I had to give props it’s to Aidan Quinn, who plays the southern lawyer role of Cameron to a T. So if you’re looking for something, dark, gritty and engaging, then Rushlights is just the film for you.
The Bad:
I mentioned the tension above and this film tries to raise tension where it doesn’t need it and when it does need to be tense, it falls flat. There’s also areas that could have been cut completely to save for time, which would have helped the film flow better, such as cutting out any scene involving Eddie, who doesn’t have anything to do with the main story. Yes he has connections with Sarah, but really I could see his part in the story cut out from the film. ESPECIALLY the ending/ending that deals with his dead body. Sure that's kind of spoilerish, but again, it has nothing to do with the main plot.
The Ugly:
Cameron’s face at the end – GOD DAMN!!!!
Rushlights DVD is available now and if you’re looking for an engaging romance, crime drama then let this be the one. I was sort of expecting more intense action (thanks to the box art), but in the end, I was satisfied with the finished product. And out of TOV 5 stars, I give Rushlights a 3.
