WHITE RUSH (2003) (Dark Force Entertainment Blu-ray Review)

WHITE RUSH (2003)

Label: Dark Force Entertainment
Region-Code: Region-Free

Duration: 86 Minutes 37 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Director: Mark L. Lester

Cast: Judd Nelson, Louis Mandylor, Charlie Schlatter, Tricia Helfer, Taylor Sheridan, Deborah Zoe, Sandra Vidal, James Pickens Jr.,Eddie Velez

In the  Mark L. Lester (Class of 1984) directed straight-to-video thriller White Rush (2003) a group of five friends are vacationing outside of Salt Lake City; we have Chick (Louis Mandylor, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3), Jay (Charlie Schlatter, Bright Lights, Big City), Eva (Tricia Helfer, Battlestar Galactica) and Tug (Taylor Sheridan, Yellowstone creator) and Arlene (Deborah Zoe, Road Trip). While relaxing camping they stumble upon a drug deal gone wrong, finding a bunch of dead guys, a ton of cash and a suitcase full of drugs. Chick, a cop, attempts to convince his cohorts to that need to keep this hush-hush, and that they should keep the cash and sell the cocaine, making a small fortune in the process. Bad idea, unbeknownst to them there is one survivor from the deal-gone-wrong, wounded drug-dealer Brian (Judd Nelson, The Breakfast Club), who aims to get the cocaine back before the cartel comes after him; but he's too late, the irate cartel baddie sends in sexy female-assassin Solange (Sandra Vidal, The Bold and the Beautiful) to kill Brian, retrieve the drugs, and clean-up the mess; i.e. kill all five friends. 

The friends are reluctant to go through with the drug deal but Chick pushes them onward, meanwhile his cop-boss (James Pickens Jr., The X-Files) seems to be closing in on his illegal activity while he attempts to make a deal with drug-dealer Santos Chabron (Eddie Velez, Repo Man), but can he do it before the sexy Solange picks everyone off? 

Not a terrific thriller but I like the 80's thriller vibe of it, plus it's briskly paced and it's never not entertaining, even if its entertaining in a way that's probably ly not intended. My favorite stuff is seeing the sext cartel assassin do her thing, Sandra Vidal is quite a looker, and her deadly sicario-assassin scenes are pretty bad-ass with just the right amount of unintentional kitsch, she even gives poor Tug a Columbian in necktie after seducing him in the hot-tub, hubba-hubba. A lot of the performances are a bit flat, too-heightened or unconvincing, but the pulpy melodrama happening within the group of friends is pretty tasty stuff. They really are the worst kind of friends, they way they rat on and double-cross each other you have to wonder if they ever liked each other to begin with? 

Audio/Video: White Rush (2003) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Dark Force Entertainment in 1080p HD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen, advertised as being a "new 2K Master with Color Correction from Original 35mm Camera Negative". It quite healthy, the presentation has nice depth and clarity, grain is well-managed, colors and black levels are strong. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles, the track is clean and dialogue is never a chore to discern. It's not the most dynamic or immersive track, but the Dana Kaproff (When A Stranger Calls) sounds good. 

Extras include a pair of new 2023 interviews, we get a 25-min On-Camera Interview with Cult Director Mark L. Lester, and a 23-min On-Camera Interview with Writer C. Courtney Joyner, both conducted by The Demon aka David DeFalco of Dark Force Entertainment, conducted over video conference. Defalco is quite a character, if a bit annoying, but the content is still good. 

Lester talks about the source novel, changed made during the adaptation, some casting, and touching on his larger filmography, and noting how the industry has changed. Screenwriter Joyner also talks about adapting the novel and how it evolved, as well as interesting observations about the cast. The single-disc release arrives in a keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the same key artwork I have seen on previous DVD editions, which is mirrored on the disc artwork. 

Special Features:

- New 2K Master with Color Correction from Original 35mm Camera Negative
- 2023 On-Camera Interview with Cult Director Mark L. Lester (25:11)
- 2023 On-Camera Interview with Writer C. Courtney Joyner (22:50)

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