Blood Rush (2016)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Stella Maeve, Michael Madsen, Evan Taubenfeld
Directed by Harris Demel
While the potential for a vehicular accident is terrifying enough, it’s another thing to actually be involved in one, and to have to wait on assistance is entirely another aspect of the trauma, but what if your “assistance” proved to be anything but? In Harris Demel’s upside-down thriller, Blood Rush, aka Flipped, the audience gets tossed, turned, upended, and over-easied…and it’s pretty damned entertaining.
Model (and social media darling) Nicole Diamond (Maeve) has just suffered the aforementioned accident in her high-dollar SUV, and now she and her cover-boy man-friend (Taubenfeld) are at the mercy of not only gravity, but time itself. Stuck in the vehicle with no hope of escape, she turns to her most tried and true friend…NO, not her boyfriend! – her cellphone! After what seems like a mini-eternity of dropped calls and random dials, a connection is made with Casey (Madsen), whose gruff voice appears to be the sounds of solace in her time of need, however it seems like Casey’s line of questioning is beginning to sway quite far away from what is pertinent to the situation here…interesting to say the least. As her boyfriend continues to slip in and out of consciousness and the clock is ticking (nightfall, hungry animals on the prowl), Nicole’s nerves are fraying, and the hopes of a rescue appear to be dimming – why isn’t Casey sending some friggin aid??
What makes up the majority of the film (besides a couple of upside-down victims in a wrecked ride) are the multiple flashbacks that showcase the opulence of Nicole’s life, and how she got to where she’s currently at in her place on this planet – it helps, although at times it felt like it was cutting a little TOO deeply into the movie’s tension-filled framework. Viewers are really at the mercy of Demel’s direction, and he uses said tension to drag you in, almost feeling like you’re trapped in the car as well, waiting for any help to show up. Maeve’s performance is admirable, and while Madsen is only present in voice, the mere tones of his delivery will be enough to send chills down your spine…or UP your spine, depending on which way you’re strapped into your seat. For Demel’s maiden voyage into directorial-land, I’ll have to give him a big ol’ thumbs up for this one – the guy knows how to hold an audience down, and awaiting his next project should be well worth it. All in all, I can most assuredly recommend Blood Rush to the masses, but please, don’t try standing on your heads to watch this one…sooner or later everyone ends up right side up.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
