Movie Review: ‘Green Rush’

Review by Bradley Smith

Green Rush tells the story of a family farm in California struggling for survival against increased legal and illegal forces in the wake of California legalizing recreational marijuana. Inspired by true events, this harrowing story, chillingly encapsulated in a film produced by MMA fighter and Hall of Fame inductee Urijah Faber and directed by Gerard Roxburgh, shines a light on multiple sides of the growing marijuana business.

The movie starts with a slow build by introducing Rob (Mike Foy), his pregnant wife Maria (Kriss Dozal), and his brother Caleb (Declan Michael Laird). Together, they run a marijuana farm that is down on its luck, struggling to stay above water. But soon enough, the action and tension pick up when a disgruntled employee joins with a group of criminals to try to hijack their livelihood leading the family into a different kind of struggle with potentially fatal consequences.

The acting is respectable, the story is believable (which you might expect but not always get from “inspired by true events”), most of the characters are fleshed out enough for this slice of their lives, and the action is thrilling and grounded in reality. If I were to nitpick, there are some stereotypical one-dimensional characters (i.e. prejudiced rural cop), some plot twists are not that surprising, and there are a couple scenes that do not really contribute much to the story. Those foibles aside, it is a thought-provoking, worthwhile movie. Not many people will be able to relate to small business owners running a failing marijuana farm, but they can relate to the family dynamic and their survival more than carries the majority of the plot.