Premium Rush

I don’t really know anything about being a bike messenger. It doesn’t seem overly complicated; ride bike, pick up item, ride bike, drop off item. There hasn’t been a lot of attention to the profession in film; if I’m honest my only real reference to a bike messenger in a movie was the bagel guy in 40 Days and 40 Nights. What I have gathered is that it’s dangerous, you’ve got to be in great shape to do it, and it involves being sweaty constantly. Premium Rush is a tale of a bike messenger in Manhattan, we also see a multitude of other messengers as well, but our film follows Wilee in particular (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Wilee gets caught up in your basic chase scenario because of a letter he is to deliver. The plot isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but the break-neck pacing in conjunction with an environment and occupation that gets so little attention keeps Premium Rush from feeling stale or repetitive.

“Runnin’ reds and killin’ peds.”

First the good: the visual elements of the film are fresh and crisp. The manner in which Wilee must make bullet-fast decisions on how to traverse the busy city is done originally, and is interesting to fathom (it does become repetitive by the fourth iteration). The story, while not that different from many older chase films, is original enough in its presentation that it doesn’t feel overused or passé. The acting talent of Joseph Gordon-Levitt will come as a surprise to no one, but the onscreen chemistry between Gordon-Levitt and Dania Ramirez is completely electric. Their face-to-face interactions seem very genuine, and there is an honest feeling of romantic tension between the two, although underutilized in my opinion, as they are rarely in the same place at the same time. The film work and cinematography is interesting, and the angles and speed of the camera as it follows Wilee and other messengers throughout the city adds a sense of danger and adrenaline to the entire production. There is an underlying bed of fast paced music that adds to this anxiety, although barely perceptible. Lastly, the stunt work (and I suspect CGI) that was utilized for some sequences is seamless and does not take away from the film in general. While there are some silly sequences, it is never cartoonish.

However, there are a few sticking points. For instance: Michael Shannon, who plays the rogue NYPD officer, feels like a caricature of a bad Dick Tracy villain. His affected voice and kooky mannerisms elicit an eye roll or two as he hams it up on screen. Premium Rush isn’t exactly Glengarry Glen Ross, but his performance feels like a Disney bad guy. Also, some plot elements seem a far stretch. For instance, there are twenty-two separate police precincts in Manhattan alone, but our protagonist happens to stop in the specific one that not just one, but two of his pursuers work out of? Furthermore, when writing a film, why does every character need to have some amazing connection to one another? The ex-girlfriend just so happens to be dating his bicycle nemesis, who just so happens to also be roommates with the very same person that gave him the package that caused this whole mess to begin with? Why not just go the full measure and make the crooked cop related to his boss? All these unnecessary connections take away from the realism, and contain the environment in an otherwise open world.

“Can’t Stop. Don’t want to, either.”

Lastly, from the opening sequence, the visual, musical, and performance elements are at full speed. It’s one of the benefits of the film and makes it really interesting. Suddenly the pacing hits a brick wall as we’re explained all the background information of our crooked officer, the explanation of the mysterious envelope, where the local nail salon is, and that a roommate needs to pack her bags and move in with family. All these elements aren’t bad; they’re just painfully slow after the ceaseless action we’ve become accustomed to up to that point. Premium Rush starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dania Ramirez, Michael Shannon, and Henry O was released theatrically on August 24th 2012. Met with generally positive reviews, however, under the radar of most moviegoers. Premium Rush is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray home media, Amazon Instant Video, as well as recently available at Redbox locations nationwide; overall a very fun, fast paced, date-friendly film.