Premium Rush
Release Date: August 24, 2012
Director: David Koepp
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dania Ramirez, Michael Shannon
Runtime: 91 min
Tagline: Ride Like Hell
Premium Rush is filled with fun one-liners, reckless characters and a fast-paced story; all the characteristics of a fine action flick. That’s just what this is: a fine action movie that passes the time. It’s fun entertainment following Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) run away from a rogue cop (Michael Shannon) trying to steal a package Wilee is carrying. That’s really just the plot (In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city), but there are smaller sub-plots throughout. Another cop is chasing him, as Wilee pulls some quick ones on him time and time again. That sub-plot is sometimes funny but it gets tedious; as does an extremely competitive fellow bike messenger, Manny (Wolé Parks). The relationship between he and Wilee, however, allows some fun bike races. This is a movie that shows us that bike racing movies can be nearly as exciting as car racing flicks. Emphasis on the nearly. I guess four wheels are better than two. The movie sometimes feels like it doesn’t do enough with its cool premise, and the sort-of twist with the package reveal is rather bland and one of the movie’s more forgettable moments. Dania Ramirez and Jamie Chung offer good supporting roles. Levitt is solid (even this is his weakest performance and movie of 2012, but his other two films were the great The Dark Knight Rises and Looper) as an extremely reckless character who refuses to use his brakes, but Michael Shannon is the most memorable part of the movie. One of his scenes near the end of the movie is high-larious in a strange way. The only fairly groundbreaking material it offers is some fascinating cinematography, where Wilee imagines different biking routes in New York traffic; where some routes lead to death, and others lead to safety. This is a taut, fast-paced action flick that offers some good late summer entertainment.
73/100
The frozen-in-time moments where JGL evaluates the potential options for his immediate route is great. As a bike rider in NYC who has been hit by a car (on my 2nd day!), you really do need your head on a swivel while you try to predict the future of crazy drivers and oblivious pedestrians.
I thought this was a fun movie.
Well that’s a very cool perspective! I’d bet. I’d be awful at that job, I’m not one for danger lol. I’m not even a bike riding fan.
It was quite fun. Good entertainment 😀
Ugh, don’t get me started on how much i hated this film.
That’s too bad, Chris 😦 I’ll read your review of it 🙂
I’ve avoid this like the plague. Happy to see someone give it the fair kind of day, mildly more tempted. Also, Must say love your rating system, I hate really vague numbers, and stars.
It’s worth streaming, I’d say! Haha thanks! I should start showing how I arrive at my numbers…
*Avoided, Pardon my typo.
I’ll admit some of the Bike race scenes were cool. But then it was like they tried to make them TOO cool, with the whole bar scenes, and hidden extreme bike messenger’s sub culture, and JGL is the badass of the bike world with his ‘no brakes’ policy. It just seemed forced.
I agree Michael Shannon’s presence and performance was the best part about the movie. It’s a good time pass movie, but not even close to being an entertaining action flick.
Yeah, some of the sub-plots felt forced… I’d agree with that!
I was never really bored, so that’s usually my idea of decent entertainment lol. I doubt I’d watch this again, though.
Nice review. Still have no clue what to make of Shannon’s performance here.