Premium Rush
Directed by:
David KoeppCinematography:
Mitchell AmundsenComposer:
David SardyCast:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Chung, Michael Shannon, Wolé Parks, Dania Ramirez, Aasif Mandvi, Jennifer Butler, Brian Koppelman, Aaron Tveit (more)Plots(1)
Dodging speeding cars, crazed cabbies and eight million cranky pedestrians is all in a day's work for Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the best of New York's agile and aggressive bicycle messengers. It takes a special breed to ride the fixie - super lightweight, single-gear bikes with no brakes and riders who are equal part skilled cyclists and nutcases who risk becoming a smear on the pavement every time they head into traffic. But a guy who's used to putting his life on the line is about to get more than even he is used to when his last envelope of the day - a routine "premium rush" run - turns into a life or death chase through the streets of Manhattan. Also starring Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez and Jamie Chung. For International Only: Dodging speeding cars, crazed cabbies and eight million cranky pedestrians is all in a day's work for Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the best of New York's agile and aggressive bicycle messengers. It takes a special breed to ride the fixie bike. Riders who are equal part skilled cyclists and nutcases who risk becoming a smear on the pavement every time they head into traffic. But a guy who puts his life on the line everyday is about to get more than even he is used to when his last envelope of the day - a routine "premium rush" run - turns into a life or death chase through the streets of Manhattan. Also starring Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez and Jamie Chung. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (9)
Naïve, but nice. The retrospective uncovering of who, what and why is well thought out in the first half of the film and the feats of cycling in the second half are even faster and more intense, with more obstacles. The probability of such a “chance” encounter in Manhattan is vanishingly small and chasing a bicycle with a car through New York’s congested streets is unrealistic, but the film doesn’t take itself seriously, so that’s okay. The girls are pretty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is likable and bad guy Michael Shannon is eccentrically unhinged in a way that would be suitable for an action comedy. The cyclists go all out and the action is spectacularly shot and edited.
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This high-octane action flick speeds forward at such a suicidal pace that its end comes before the Road Runner can blurt out his trademark “Meep Meep”. The stereotypical characters (a corrupt psychopathic cop, a desperate honest cop, a jacked rival in love) are seriously reminiscent of characters from an animated grotesque. After all, Premium Rush does not demand any other kind of (more serious) viewing from us. Everything is overwrought and simplistic in the manner of a B move as if it was about power, even though it is about life. However, that does not mean it is a stupid or bad film at all. The simplicity of the plot and the flatness of the characters allow us to fully enjoy the ride, whose fluidity takes priority over all of the narrative components. ___ With textbook efficiency, Koepp uses only a few characters whose paths cross several times, each of which is fully utilised, sometimes simultaneously on multiple levels (Wilee and Manny compete not only to see who will be faster and thus help to resolve the plot, but also to see who is the stud and will get the girl). The condensing of the narrative, structured into several acts with its own deadline, flashback and climax, is manifested in the characterisation of the characters on the run (because there is no time to stop) and in the confident management of time as a very flexible variable (stop, rewind, coincide). It has been a long time since I last saw action so consistent in the use of every minute of the runtime. ___ Though the film bears an obvious eco-message (in a depersonalised major city, only cyclists stick together, while villains live and die in cars), there are a lot of “trends” in relation to modern communication technologies. Wilee uses a smartphone that guides him to his destination based on the example of a map in GTA-style video games, where it is usually also necessary to arrive within a certain time limit. In the fashion of video games, it is also possible to read a visualisation of the protagonist’s possible decisions on where he should continue on his ride. As in games that allow the player to return to the starting position after a failure, we see the consequences of bad decisions. These scenes concurrently help to illustrate the nature of the protagonist, who basically does not use the brakes and does not stop himself – time has to stop him. He is obviously a maniac, but thanks to Gordon-Levitt, he is a likable maniac in whose case you have no doubt that his “moral compass” will always point him in the right direction at the last minute. The actions scenes, which were shot mostly without CGI right on the streets of New York, are highly entertaining. Thanks to the greater vulnerability of a cyclist compared to a motorist, we almost physically experience the seductive battle against time. ___ Premium Rush is not just incredibly fast-paced action, but mainly action that is fast-paced in such a well-thought-out way that there is still enough room for jokes, ecological agitprop, romance, family melodrama and thorough topographical mapping of New York. 80%
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Straightforward action fun, but surprisingly well made. Gordon-Levitt is good as always, but he’s overshadowed by Michael Shannon, who delivers the cutest antagonist of the year. And it’s mostly him (and the already referred to perfect direction and cinematography) that makes Premium Rush worth watching, even though the script is by no means great.
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Premium Rush is a rushed action thriller. Everything is happening really fast, the whole movie is imaginative, effective and original. Plus it feels like Joseph Gordon-Levitt now plays in almost every interesting flick and he is currently on the top of my imaginary list of the most frequently seen actors. Nevertheless, this nice guy really pleased me even in this movie. I think the whole movie deserves three stars, it’s a classic. If you get used to the fact that in this movie the story is not as interesting as the way it is made in, you will have fun. For me, that was enough for those 91 minutes.
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Cyclo-fascist Levitt versus informer Shannon in Grand Theft Bike full of limits (time, space and unfortunately also narrative). The wheels fall off at the end, because humane Chinese oil from children doesn't work right now, but it's still enough to have some great fun. It is too bad that the initial euphoria will pass relatively quickly, leaving mainly the first-class ascents of Shannon and his psychopathic mental derailleurs.
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A hopeless story and miserable dialogs. But in formal terms there is nothing to fault here. Flawless editing, drive, action and JGL does his bit. The ever-ready "road map" vision of the main protagonist made for the best scenes of this movie.
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A brisk, simple, and a hell of a thrilling and entertaining action spectacle, and I will definitely see it more than once. The protagonist's bike has no brakes and the movie about him likewise. Wonderfully shot scenes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I didn't dislike, and Michael Shannon as the uncontrollable villain all made for a more than good experience, but I honestly almost didn't have time to focus on the other characters as Premium Rush kept speeding forward. The second, third or fourth time I see I'll catch everything. And I'm sure it'll still be the same amount of fun.
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Among the movie's positives, the standout is definitely the cast — especially Michael Shannon, who was born to play disturbed government agents and corrupt police officers, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is also among my favorite actors. However, the main issue I had was with the story itself. It should have stirred some emotions in me, but it fell flat in that regard. Aside from the bike rides, it didn't feel very original. It also made me remember why I don't typically watch the Tour de France — it tends to bore me. The film didn't quite reach that level of tedium, but the potential was there. / Lesson learned: Haste makes waste.
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In the movie "Premium Rush," Joseph Gordon-Levitt tries his hand at an action-packed ride, where it's not so much about his acting abilities but how well he can ride a bike. Well, occasionally it's noticeable that it's digital, and at times I would even guess it's a stunt double, but that doesn't change the fact that the film has quite a drive. That's exactly what it needs. David Koepp is primarily a screenwriter, but he has also made a name for himself as a director. His "Secret Window," based on King's work, appealed to me, and it has a few good elements. "Premium Rush" is similar in that it primarily benefits from the bike ride through New York City traffic, plus it's a very frantic ride that looks incredibly good. Michael Shannon adds the antagonist to it, along with some mystery and an object that everyone is after, although no one really knows what it is. It's like a "Phone Booth" on a larger scale. It's great that when you crash on a bike, you don't get any scrapes. I don't know why we can't have the American asphalt here, considering we already have McDonald's. "Premium Rush" is a quick bite that probably won't amaze you enough to write poetry about the film, but for that hour and a half, it's a good ride that lets you know that bike riding in the city can truly be an extreme sport. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/01/little-ashes-nezapomen-na-me-butter.html
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