Joseph Gordon-Levitt had a quite a successful Summer ’13 – with “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Looper” and a starring role in “Premium Rush”, which isn’t your typical action film. Gordon-Levitt plays Wilee, a NYC bike messenger. His job is to deliver letters and packages throughout the city while dealing with deadlines and the crazy traffic. It’s dangerous work, especially since Wilee doesn’t have brakes on his bike.
In the opening scene, Wilee crashes, landing in the street and is possibly unconscious. The story then jumps back in time a few hours and we find-out why this “accident” occurred. Wilee has been hired to deliver an envelope with a ticket inside to a mystery woman. But a NYC cop named Bobby (played by Michael Shannon) desperately wants that ticket for his own personal reasons. The entire movie is basically a cat and mouse chase involving these two, with some subplots and supporting characters tossed in.
As an action film “Premium Rush” is solid. The story structure is a bit unusual: the entire film takes place over one day and the film cuts-back and forth from the present to a few hours earlier a couple of times. These mini-flashbacks provide backstories of the Bobby character and others and provide explanations for why everyone wants this ticket so badly. The technique didn’t bother me too much, nor did the occasional clock and GPS navigation graphics on the screen.
The best thing about the film are the bicycle chase scenes through the busy NYC streets. Gordon-Levitt appears to be doing a lot of his own stunts, which could not have been easy. I give director David Koepp credit for staging and shooting these sequences. There are plenty of near misses and some collisions. It’s tough not to yell “Whoa” and “Ouch” during these scenes. There is some funny dialogue and I’m guessing the most car horn honks in movie history.
Unfortunately, “Premium Rush” falls flat pretty much everywhere else. Gordon-Levitt has very little opportunity to show what a good actor he is. Shannon is just an OK villain, overplaying the role. The subplots involving another bike messenger who Wilee likes, another who is way too cocky and the woman who needs the ticket, are all cheesy and really slow down the pace of the film. Also, there’s the use of a gimmick to shock the audience which is unrealistic and the ending doesn’t entirely work.
“Premium Rush” is rated PG-13 for some intense action/violence and language. It’s appropriate for teens and up. If the script had been given a tune-up, the villain toned-down and Gordon-Levitt provided with more to do than just peddle, this could have been a top-quality thriller.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Premium Rush” gets a C+.