Starring: Beau Bridges, Aidan Quinn, Josh Henderson, Haley Webb
Director: Antoni Stutz
Two twenty something’s from L.A travel to a small town to claim an inheritance that isn’t theirs.
A young man named Billy Brody (Josh Henderson) Meets Sarah (Haley Webb) a Waitress in LA, faster than she can say her favorite movie is fight club they are in a relationship, When Billy gets a distress call and shows up to see Sarah frightened and her roommate dead, a plan is hatched to pose as the dead junkie and acquire her inheritance. I appreciated the irony that Fight Club a film condemning materialism is the favorite of a girl who is about to impersonate her dead roommate and steal a family fortune.
Quickly the pair are shacked up in a small town, waiting to claim their misbegotten funds. The only problem for them is Cameron (Aidan Quinn) the executor of the will who has other motives, His brother Sheriff Bob who immediately doesn’t trust the out of town pair and Edward the LA drug dealer that has tracked them down.
Rushlights is the type of film that while a bit predictable on the twist and turns it has it’s moments of being enjoyable. It’s not overly memorable; its small mystery isn’t really much of a mystery, while it has the potential for a multitude of twists and turns its really no twists and a slight turn. The swerve makes up for some of its shortcomings but the film goes on for a few minutes too long. The ending scene could easily have been cut. What’s most disappointing is it flashes some signs of a much grimmer and darker film. It’s a very Coen Brothers light film, while lacking the quirks of the Coen bros. It does flash a few signs of violence and dark humor, the few brief moments of violence are the most even.
The acting is so over the top for the most part particularly Aiden Quinn as the puffy faced lawyer who clearly relishes the chance to play against type, chewing up scenes every chance he gets like a pit bull on a pork chop. Crispian Belfrage as Edward Romero is so improperly cast its maddening. He is supposed to ooze a threatening menace, yet between the bad hair, the accent and the lack of anything that could be remotely confused as physically imposing, he comes across as more of a creepy pedophile uncle than a threat to be taken seriously.
Rushlights claims to be based on a true story which would explain the overabundance of bad decisions made constantly. Its failure to truly commit makes it date night fodder for the DVD player.
Grade – 71
