White Rush Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

White Rush Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 17, 2024

Mark L. Lester's "White Rush" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new programs with Mark L. Lester and screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Here’s another film from Mark L. Lester that should have been made during the 1980s. It still could have been a direct-to-video production, but it would have turned out much, much better. The 1970s would have been a good decade for it too, though I would not want to trade Steel Arena, which is one of my greatest discoveries, Truck Stop Women, and Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw for it. In the 1970s, Lester’s work was defined by an unmistakable sense of freedom that single-handedly transformed his films into pretty special time capsules. These films loved to go places and discover unique characters, too. White Rush is stuck in L.A., plus it has a very sexy Argentinian female killer that belongs there.

Then again, Lester could have turned this sexy female killer into a very interesting character. After all, a little later, in 1985, Lester turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into a conventional action character with Commando. Before that, Schwarzenegger was simply an exotic Austrian bodybuilder who looked right in a couple of exotic films. Yes, one of these films, The Terminator, became a huge box office hit, but it did not change perceptions about Schwarzenegger -- he had an extraordinary body and looked tremendous before the camera, so people focused on and appreciated his look. Lester and Commando changed this. The two proved that Schwarzenegger could do a lot more than just look tremendous before the camera, like, for instance, evolve into a proper action character that would carry an entire film. In other words, they humanized Schwarzenegger and permanently redirected his career. In White Rush, Lester could have done something similar with the Argentinean female killer, but by erasing her most human qualities. I do not know exactly how, but I know that Lester could have come up with some very interesting changes.

But enough with the speculations about what type of genre film White Rush could have been. Let’s refocus on what type of genre film it is.

It is a small film that Lester made from a screenplay that was handed to him by C. Courtney Joyner -- in case you are wondering, this is the same gentleman who has done numerous outstanding audio commentaries and programs for Blu-ray releases from boutique labels like Kino Lorber and Imprint Films -- who worked with original material from Mark McGarrity’s novel “White Rush, Green Fire”. Lester had read the novel, liked it a lot, and decided to turn it into a film after he discovered that no one else had attempted to secure the rights to it. Apparently, White Rush changes some crucial details of the story that is told in the novel, but the drama that flourishes in it remains the same.

While out in the wilderness, five good friends set up camp just a few hundred meters away from a spot where a drug deal goes terribly wrong. After an intense shootout between the sellers and the buyers that leaves just one person injured (Judd Nelson), one of the friends, who happens to be a cop and carries a gun (Louis Mandylor), runs to the spot and picks up the drugs and the money. Then, while the injured drug dealer hides, he goes back to the camp and attempts to convince everyone that Lady Luck has just presented them with a glorious opportunity to permanently reset their miserable lives. But one of the two female campers (Tricia Helfer) instantly disagrees with the proposed plan to sell the drugs and keep the money and runs away -- and moments later, after her friends abandon her, she ends up in the hands of the injured drug dealer, who takes her hostage and forces her to drive him to a safe house somewhere on the outskirts of L.A. While the drug dealer recovers and the cop begins making arrangements to sell the drugs on the streets, an angry Mexican drug lord dispatches a stunningly beautiful professional killer (Sandra Vidal) to take out the amateurs and recover what belongs to him.

Despite its obvious budget limitations, White Rush looks pretty good and works quite well, or at least for a genuine B-film. In fact, because it never pretends to be anything else but a B-film, what it does, and how it does it, looks legit.

As the drama unfolds, Vidal and Mandylor are tasked to lead, and they do it in different ways. The former uses her stunning appearance to effectively shock as a brutal chameleon, while the latter undergoes a more conventional transformation and becomes a classic dirty cop.

Ultimately, White Rush is a decent film to see late at night that has a lot in common with the various crime and erotic thrillers that the likes of HBO and Cinemax used to show during the 1990s. However, it lacks the adventurous spirit of Lester’s most effective, similar small films from the 1970s and 1980s.

White Rush Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, White Rush arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 2K master that was struck from the original camera negative. Unsurprisingly, White Rush looks very healthy and very attractive. Unfortunately, despite looking very attractive, I do not think that it looks exactly as it should. Why? Even though it was finalized in 2003 and went straight to home video, White Rush is graded a lot like most films from the last decade or so -- there is quite a bit of teal that overwhelms whites, blues, and some other important nuances. (See the film's opening credits). Also, in some areas, the dynamic range of the visuals is off, which is why some visuals have that very particular velvety, soft appearance that is associated with issues that are introduced during the grading process. The surface of the visuals looks very good. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections or traces of encoding anomalies. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

White Rush Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is a bit of a mixed bag. Indeed, the dialog is always clear and easy to follow, but dynamic balance is quite inconsistent. In some areas, for instance, clarity is proper but depth is underwhelming, while in other areas the reverse scenario is present. None of these inconsistencies are troubling but they are noticeable. However, considering that White Rush was a direct-to-video production, I have to speculate that this is most likely how its soundtrack was finalized.

White Rush Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Mark L. Lester - in this exclusive new program, Mark L. Lester explains how White Rush came to exist and highlights some changes that were made in the original story from the novel that inspired it, the casting process (and how casting has evolved for the worse in the last couple of decades), how genre films have evolved and why it is no longer possible to be truly creative in Hollywood even when small films are made, some key moments in his illustrious career, upcoming projects, etc. The interview is conducted by David DeFalco a.k.a. The Demon (owner of Dark Force Entertainment). In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Interview with C. Courtney Joyner - in this exclusive new program, screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner recalls his work on the screenplay for White Rush, how certain parts of it evolved, the unique qualities of the cast that was assembled (with some very interesting and true observations about Judd Nelson and Sandra Vidal's contribution), and his impressions of Mark L. Lester's directing methods. Mr. Joyner also discusses some of his most recent work. The interview is conducted by David DeFalco a.k.a. The Demon (owner of Dark Force Entertainment). In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

White Rush Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the 1980s, a slightly more unhinged Sandra Vidal and a bigger budget for Mark. L. Lester to work with would have earned White Rush quite a reputation. In its current form White Rush is not a bad film, but it is just another B-film that you would see and several days later easily forget. Or, maybe you won't because Vidal's exotic executioner looks stunning and before its final credits roll the film pulls off several good tricks. This release from Dark Force Entertainment introduces a brand new 2K remaster of White Rush which could have been graded a little bit better.