Rush (1992)

One vein-popping horror soon blends into another in movies about dope addicts. Rush, which got lost in the Christmas box office bustle, transcends the genre. As undercover cops who themselves become hopelessly addicted while ''passing'' in the drug culture of the early '70s, Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh give rich, full-blooded performances far beyond the standard bug-eyed intensity.

Lili Fini Zanuck makes an absolutely first-rate directing debut. Those in doubt need only witness that unnerving, four-minute opening featuring creepy Gregg Allman as a big-time dealer under the credits — all of it fluidly, atmospherically executed in a single take. Frightening and unflinchingly accurate, Rush is a potent cautionary tale. Parents could do much worse than suggest their teenage kids rent it. B+