Rating of
3/4
Review: Premium Rush
MikePA - wrote on 08/29/12
In desperate times like this, audiences need something original to enjoy during the summer instead of being pounded over the head again and again with remakes, sequels, prequels, and whatnot. The latest blockbuster is the small, but fast, Premium Rush, a gig that was written and directed by David Koepp, and features great talents such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, and Dania Ramirez. Is Premium Rush a great film? No, but it's at least a good breath of fresh air.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Wilee, a New York City bike messanger who is the absolute best at what he does. He's aggressive and full of ambition. His job is to get from point A to point B to deliver some sort of message, riding at incredible speed through cars, busses, taxis, and pedestrians. He rides the fixie, which is a single-gear bike without breaks, and by doing so, he risks his life every day and could easily become a smear in the street.
When Wilee is put on a job to deliver an envelope, he is put on the nerve of a corrupt cop, Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon), who must retrieve the envelope from Wilee for specific reasons. From this point on to the end is an adrenaline-fueled chase film, packed with energetic performances and stylishly directed action scenes. The film co-stars Jamie Chung, Nick Damici, and Aasif Mandvi.
Premium Rush is a very watchable movie. You may complain that the plot is unbelievably preposterous (and maybe a little bit too simplistic), but writer-director David Koepp and the rest of the cast knows that, and they have fun with it and deliver an impressive film of great clarity. The movie is 90-minutes long, providing just the right amount of action and exposition to satisfy the average moviegoer. Koepp also provides consistent flashbacks to fill in a couple blanks, and while it may seem messy and a tad too incoherent at times, it all comes together at the end.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a fine young actor, and he brings his usual awesomeness to this film. But Premium Rush's star performance is Michael Shannon. Shannon clearly knows the movie is absurd, so he plays around with it and delivers a performance so wacky and so over-the-top you just can't help but enjoy the living hell out of it. He creates his own badass, and what he presents is darkly hysterical and a lot of fun to watch.
Premium Rush delivers the goods. It has the action, the comedy, and the fun that makes for a great end-of-the-summer offering.
3/4
