Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Rust Creek Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 4, 2019

“Rust Creek” pulls a bit of a switcheroo on its audience. It’s being marketed as a nail-biter, offered up as a chilling tale of survival in the deep woods of the American south. There are sections of the picture devoted to such irresistible thrills, but the endeavor is content to leave the nerve-shredding stuff behind for long stretches of screen time. The screenplay (credited to Julie Lipson and Stu Pollard) is more interested in character-based entanglements than straight scares, which gives “Rust Creek” a more intriguing dramatic pull, juggling the needs of genre entertainment with a deep psychological inspection of the crisis at hand. It’s not a tightly constructed endeavor, which hurts it in the long run, but the movie has a vision for something different while still tending to expectations.

Sawyer (Hermione Corfield) is a college student who’s been selected to interview for a major job with a Washington, D.C. bank. Packing up her truck for the long drive, Sawyer relies on a GPS navigation app for travel, which offers her a detour through rural Kentucky to avoid traffic jams. After hours of driving, Sawyer soon realizes the app isn’t working correctly, leaving her stuck in the middle of nowhere, with hopes that a paper map will help her out. Interrupting her break on the side of the road are brothers Hollister (Micah Hauptman) and Buck (Daniel R. Hill), who present friendliness but offer menace, only to find the young woman capable of defending herself. Evading her attackers and taking off into the woods with a knife wound in her leg, Sawyer hopes to keep herself hidden from view as the siblings seek to finish her off. Her unlikely source of assistance is crystal meth manufacturer Lowell (Jay Paulson), who tries to protect Sawyer from Hollister and Buck, connecting with the confused survivor as they face attention from those involved in the drug trade.

There’s an important character detail shared during the main titles for “Rust Creek,” which showcase Sawyer’s interest in long distance running on a campus track, detailing her ability to maintain stamina before she learns of her interview opportunity a few states away. Sawyer is no pushover, but she’s not a defined superhero either, with her average existence initially challenged by bad directions into the deep woods, setting up a classic confrontation between the innocent and the predators who close in for the kill. In this case, the baddies are Hollister and Buck, two Kentucky men up to no good, trying to collect Sawyer for initially secretive reasons, only to discover a target who’s not easily subdued. She’s capable of fighting back, and while she receives a knife wound for her troubles, Sawyer manages to get away, tearing off into the nearby forest, which satisfies all requirements for thriller cinema with an exploitation edge, offering simplistic but effective commotion as the college kid is turned into human prey for the local hunters.

Sawyer is soon lost in the wilderness, slowly bleeding out, doing her best to remain out of sight as Hollister tries to cover his tracks, choosing to believe she’ll die of exposure. The chase should really amplify there, but director Jen McGowan (“Kelly & Cal”) doesn’t follow through on extreme survival challenges. Instead, “Rust Creek” slows down considerably, surveying Sawyer’s quest to remain undetected and find some type of help, leaving behind a car that’s investigated by Sheriff O’Doyle (Sean O’Bryan), who’s at odds with Deputy Katz (Jeremy Glazer) over his extreme attention to procedure, sensing something is awfully strange about the situation. However, much of “Rust Creek” is content to follow Sawyer as she makes her way through the autumnal forest, crossing freezing water and tending to her leg, eventually making contact with Lowell, who lives to sell poison to his fellow man but takes pity on Sawyer, enduring her rejection of kindness as she assumes the worst about the stranger, only to develop a confessional-style relationship with the meth manufacturer, bonding over chemistry. Sawyer even learns the trade, settling into a routine with her rescuer while Hollister senses something strange about Lowell’s living situation.

Rust Creek Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Rust Creek" submits a healthy sense of detail, delivering sharp facial surfaces, which examine sickly appearances and wounds. Forest travel is rich with textures of nature, with coarse trees and wet soil, and costuming has its fibrous particulars, ranging from Sawyer's softer gear to O'Doyle's thicker polyester uniform. Colors are engaging, leading with a seasonal look as locations lose their summer glow, delivering autumnal hues with forest travel. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable, but some shots have been brightened to clarify some evening survival, adding brief milkiness to the visual flow of the feature. Mild banding is detected.

Rust Creek Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix remains largely frontal, offering distinct dialogue exchanges with mild accents and pronounced threats. Scoring is secure, presented with satisfactory balance, never intruding on the performances. Surrounds aren't very active, with some directional activity during violent outbursts, and music offers a circular feel. Sound effects are sharp, and low-end has its moments, rumbling with explosions and a cell phone vibration. Atmospherics are good, capturing crunchy forest travel, flowing water, and tighter trailer interiors.

Rust Creek Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cast and Crew Interviews (all HD) include Hermione Cornfield (2:18), Jay Paulson (2:13), Sean O'Bryan (1:55), Daniel R. Hill (2:17), Jeremy Glazer (1:30), Julie Lipson (1:59), and Michelle Lawler (1:58). Most of the conversations are conducted on-set.

• Behind the Scenes (10:54, HD) is disappointingly short but effective overview of the production process on "Rust Creek." Topics include story, script, casting, character, direction, location shooting, blood continuity, and crew achievements, with the producer happy to celebrate the movie's diverse assortment of professionals. BTS footage is plentiful, delivering a feel for on-set mood and camaraderie, and spirits are high without a pronounced used car salesman approach, with those connected to "Rust Creek" proud of the work.

• Deleted Scenes (4:16, HD) examine more of Sawyer's college life, watching as she delivers a lecture to a nearly empty hall, and prepares for her road trip inside her campus room, taking a call from her mother. Also included is a brief scene where O'Doyle does some online detective work on Lowell.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:13, HD) is included.

Rust Creek Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Rust Creek" does well with characterization, taking a chance on personality, not overt thrills, to drive the story, with the midsection of the film examining Sawyer and Lowell's growing comfort with each other, building a tentative sense of trust during a charged situation. However, this is a slowly paced picture, painfully so at times, finding McGowan trying to achieve atmosphere through screen stasis. The endeavor could do with a tighter edit, helping to give the movie a real rhythm of threat, which only arrives periodically but effectively. "Rust Creek" is more meditative than stimulating, looking to get past predictability by humanizing cliches and dissecting evil. It's a fine effort with some impressive performances (Corfield project appealing authority), but those expecting an adrenaline shot would be wise to lower expectations.