User Reviews

The story of 'Rushlights' is driven by a script that depends on its characters to bring it to life and on its actors to trigger excitement, suspense and intrigue in the viewer. Fortunately, all elements necessary to these ends come together as needed and on time. That means the audience is treated to great performances from Aidan Quinn, Beau Bridges and a surprisingly effective Crispian Belfrage as a villain who gets under your skin and remains there until the climax.

What good is a thriller without suspense? In 'Rushlights' that aspect is built and established on the meeting and subsequent rapid fire romance of characters Billy and Sarah who take flight together away from their mundane lives after a tragedy that threatens to shatter her seemingly quiet life.

Right away I found myself rooting for Sarah and Billy, hoping they would find a better world somewhere down the endless interstate of the chaos of their world. An unexpected discovery sends them barreling for a far away place they've never been to consummate a high risk proposition that could either set them up for the rest of their lives or end them somewhere on the dark, dusty plains.

Enter Bridges and Quinn - brothers who reside in a small dust bowl of a town that has never welcomed strangers, and isn't about to start. One is a straight laced sheriff, the other a lawyer who seems a little too helpful.

After not quite riding away into the sunset Sarah and Billy roll into the same small town and while they think their ship is about to come in, the only thing that washes up is trouble and hell.

The film burns slowly for most of the way and that suits its script and pacing quite well. 'Rushlights' is a hot, sweaty, hopeful, disappointed and dusty thriller about a handful of people who never would have come together - never should have for that matter. Because when they do not everyone will survive their meet-up in one piece.

I will subtract one point only for a questionable twist that comes very late in the film, a twist I found difficult to swallow as no hints to its arrival were provided in the earlier acts and despite its resolution at the last moment, threatened to leave me with an overall bad taste for the film.

If you're looking for some decent suspense to tide you over, and most definitely if you are a fan of Quinn or Bridges, check this one out. 'Rushlights' is a nice find for movie night with friends.

"Rush Lights" is a mediocre movie and for once the design and interpretation are not really the weak point. The storyline however is terribly simplistic and looks like a regular TV series. Often it seemed like I was watching an old episode of "Matlock" or "Columbus" cause it was so average and uninspiring almost during the whole movie. Then the unbelievable coincidences started to appear at a furious pace. I was just waiting for the next nonsense that they came up with.

The performances and the displayed images need no criticism. The town Tremo is a small village in the middle of nowhere in Texas. It's a dusty place and it seems as if time stood still there. You can still look at the horizon while standing somewhere on a hill and when you're standing at the wrong place where at that moment an old Buick or Cadillac is speeding away, you can be sure that weeks later the sand is still gritting your teeth. So visually it looks acceptable.

The fact that they managed to incorporate Beau Bridges and Aidan Quinn is a positive thing.There is no doubt about the experience that both gentlemen have, given their huge list of films on their resumé. They are also the only two compelling actors and stand their ground in this crooked story. Josh Henderson as "Bill" isn't out of place in this movie. As I said earlier, it looks more like an episode of some TV series. And that's exactly the kind of thing he has a lot of experience in. Usually, his acting was fine but at times it was quite hesitant and faintly. Haley Webb acting as "Sarah" didn't thrill me that much. She looks absolutely stunning (besides the fact that she has such a weird crooked smile sometimes) but sometimes has a tendency to over-act. Despite their limited experience in feature films, they do ensure that their characters look credible.

Where does this movie actually fail? It's the storyline, the conduct and that stupid ending that screws up the overwhelmingly positive feeling I had about this movie. The initial setup is actually average. Billy and Sarah meet and start a relationship. It goes terribly wrong when a friend of Sarah dies from an overdose. It's a bizarre coincidence they look like twins and Billy comes with the brilliant idea to use that benefit and cash an inheritance of the deceased. After arriving in Tremo it turns out this is not so easy and some secrets from the past start to reveal themselves. And from then on it's just a series of astonishing facts.

*** SPOILER ALERT***

Lets start with a little summary of some ridiculous things : - To receive a plain simple package here in Belgium I need to show my ID. So I'm pretty sure there is a bit more needed concerning an inheritance then just a quick check of the ID by a lawyer. And especially when it comes to an inheritance involving a significant value of real estate. - The family lawyer turns out to be closer to the family than he expected. Ignorant as he was in all those years, he can understand the whole thing by simply reading a letter from the deceased rich man and recognizing the handwriting of his mother. And in a magical moment the plot is very very clear to him. - While Sarah and Billy are passionately kissing, a shotgun falls down on the floor, goes off and miraculously hits an unknown person standing behind the window. - A burglar loses in a clumsy way a DVD with compromising material on it. The recordings show that the rich guy had some kind of gay relationship with his bastard son (This part wasn't made that clear in the movie) - Billy is looking in the yellow pages for another lawyer for a consultation. Turns out to be the lawyer the rich guy visited to change his will. What a coincidence. - A dealer is chasing the two lovebirds to collect his money. At first he kind of get killed. I was sure about that after seeing the cloth he's wrapped in, completely soaked with blood. He's thrown in the trunk of the car and then still appears at the end to claim once again his money. But then the unfortunate fellow suffers a heart attack. Isn't life a bitch ?

Probably there are even more of those facts that can be added to the list. So concerning the content it feels a bit plain and it seems as if they had a lot of ideas and possibilities after a brainstorm session and put them all in this movie. Too bad, because ultimately the visual part wasn't that bad.

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Well made film, nice directing, almost good acting, believable (and a little sick) romance, good suspense twists and turns throughout the film.

At the end of this film you will not say, "who is going to give me back this time?" Just don't expect the greatest movie ever made but a decent movie for its budget and maybe forget logic questions inconsistencies or plot holes.

During the movie the viewer grows feelings of sympathy for the loving couple.

Not very disturbing r rated.

Recommended time to watch: Monday night

Rushlights stars Josh Henderson and Haley Webb as an unscrupulous young couple trying to pull off a seemingly simple con; all they have to do is drive to Texas, pass Webb off as a recently deceased acquaintance, collect an inheritance, and skip town before anyone gets wise. Of course, if the con really were that simple, there'd be no movie, so Henderson and Webb end up getting wrapped up in some predictable small-town intrigue involving Beau Bridges and Aidan Quinn—middle-aged brothers who are, respectively, the town's sheriff and its top lawyer.

Unabashedly pulpy, Rushlights brings to mind the noir chap's churned out by the studios of Hollywood's Poverty Row in the early 1950s. It has a few of the better qualities of sub-B noir—above-average camera-work, a rogues gallery of bit players—and all of the flaws. It even has the sort of slipshod pacing—complete with abrupt, anticlimactic dissolves—that is usually associated with productions trying to conserve film stock.

Whatever pleasure could be derived from the movie's generically twisty plotting is negated by cardboard characterization, indifferent editing rhythms, and a score that sounds like it was pulled from a production music library. Henderson and Webb are non-presences cast in roles that are less characters than collections of plot twists; because Rushlights spends so much time on two protagonists that nobody bothered to write or play, it ends up feeling overlong (even the blandest '50s quickies at least had the virtue of only running an hour). As if to make up for the blandness, director/co-writer Antoni Stutz—whose only prior feature is the Traci Lords/Julie Bowen vehicle You're Killing Me—throws in a lot affected violence; pseudo-shocking stranglings, stabbings, and bludgeons are a regular occurrence. As a result, the movie resembles a flavorless meal doused with hot sauce.

Rushlights is astonishingly bad from the outset, gets marginally better with all the corruption and twists.

Not sure what's with the alternate universe doppelganger, who's someone else apparently, but we just move on and it's never discussed. Then dropping a rifle that goes off and hits a guy through the window they didn't know was there, who had a gun of their own, that's pretty amazing! The characterization's woeful, the leads poor, the secondary actors solid. We have a family like one of those "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" films. What an ending though, the dude that's dead wrapped in bedsheets in the trunk for a significant period's apparently back and has tracked them to Mexico, but oh no, he has heart failure and they live happily ever after...

I thought the kids were fantastic. I really liked all their characters a lot. They did not make the best choices, but how many of us did at that age? I mean, they are just kids. So, I think they definitely came across as likable and relatable. Plus, Haley Webb is incredibly hot in this movie! She definitely brings a lot to the table in that regard. Otherwise, I thought the story was pretty exciting and it had lots of thrills! Also, all of the action and intense moments definitely kept me going, right up until the end of the movie. I would recommend this movie to action-seekers and I'll be watching it more than once for sure.

Honestly and truthfully, I thought this was going to be semi-mediocre, at best. My girlfriend is a big Josh Henderson fan, so she made me watch go and see it. Anyway, I don't know and am not really sure what some of these people are talking about on here. Slow-paced? Boring? Yeah right! I almost fell out of my chair at one point in the movie! I was really, really, really impressed, and I don't say that often. I did not expect it to be anywhere near that good! The acting was much better than I expected too, for sure. Beau Bridges killed it, as always. The whole, entire production was pretty impressive come to think of it. Go see it now!

So, I was waiting on seeing this movie since I loved the casting and actor lineup for it. All I can say is "saw it and loved it." The whole plot of this film was great. I love movies where there are cons being played and a lot of twists and turns that take the viewer for a ride. There is plenty of action to satisfy any thrill seeker and enough good story to keep you on the edge of your seat wanting more. I especially loved the performances by Beau Bridges and Aidan Quinn. They are a couple of my favorites and it was so great seeing them in a film together and playing in this type of film. This movie is a must see for anyone!

WARNING ** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ** Set in Alabama and based upon a true story, Rushlights is captivating, full of intrigue and cleverly written - full of plot twists and surprises. The layers and layers of deceit and mistrust coupled with the incredible chemistry between the two main characters, Sarah (Haley Webb) and Billy (Josh Henderson) make this one of my favorite movies of the year. Fantastic cinematography, storyline and film score, this movie is nothing less than titillating. The story becomes darker as the movie progresses. Beau Bridges is phenomenal as the untrusting Sheriff, who suspects the two main characters of fraud when they come to collect the fortune of the dead Uncle of Sarah. Turns out, Sarah is not really his niece and not entitled to the estate. A must see. Loved it!