Review: Premium Rush

Review: Premium Rush

September is experiencing a particularly exciting tidal wave of movies so far: Dredd, Lawless, Anna Karenina, To Rome With Love and Looper have all arrived at our cinema screens (or soon will). However, Premium Rush, a film starring 2012's new fan favourite Joseph Gordon-Levitt has slipped under the radar slightly thanks to superheroes and sci-fi action flicks dominating the box office.

It's a shame really, because although Premium Rush may not be the most memorable or exciting movie you'll see in 2012, it's a decent (if tacky) hour and a half of frantic fun.

Set in New York, Premium Rush follows a day in the life of Wilee (Gordon-Levitt), one of 1,500 bike messengers whose job is to transport items or messages across the city from A to B as fast as possible. Think Jason Statham's Transporter movies - except on bikes. It all sounds simple but as Wilee explains, an open cab door, an unwitting pedestrian or a second of hesitation could mean instant broken bones or even death. His gears are fixed and neither his bike or his life have brakes - "I couldn't stop, even if I wanted to. It actually makes me sick to think that some people would rather sit in an office all day wearing a suit instead of this. I like to ride."

His next particular drop-off raises suspicion as soon as a dirty cop (Michael Shannon, whose crazy eyes are constantly in danger of popping out of his skull) attempts to intercept the package by force - but Wilee sees it as his duty to carry out his job and transport the envelope to its destination. Cue breathless chases through the big apple, as our hero dodges corrupt cops, criminals, red lights and races against the clock (backed by a particularly cool soundtrack) whilst uncovering the real reason others are after his goods.

Premium Rush is ridiculously daft, but it's great fun. Director David Koepp unleashes a talent for chase scenes, providing exhilirating action sequences where Wilee is forced to weave in and out of oncoming traffic. One particular feature which isn't exactly original (it immediately reminded me of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies) yet raises a few laughs is where Wilee, pedalling furiously, is forced to stop and check out his options of how to avoid a potential crash. We see what could happen as he assesses the risks and evaluates which path he should take to ensure the least amount of damage to both himself and other people.

Yet, while these features are fun and the vast majority of the movie is a thrilling speed rush, it loses pace shortly after Wilee escapes Michael Shannon's greedy cop, instead choosing to flick backwards in time and give us an overly long back story about his true motivations. Add to that a bizarre subplot about a student's attempts to emigrate her son from China and you have what feels like a very forced attempt to add some emotion and character depth into a film that prides itself on the thrill of the chase.

Still, when the story gets back on track and pedals furiously towards its action scenes, there is an enormous amount of fun to be had. Joseph Gordon-Levitt excels as the protagonist, striking a balance between a nonchalant, immature guy whose rule breaking ways should be frowned upon and a hero so passionate about his job and doing the right thing that we find ourselves willing him on.

So it's a bit of a distraction to find that he is the only major cast member capable of displaying any decent acting chops. Bobby Monday, played by Michael Shannon, is a decent enough villain and his motivations for trying to snatch the package are soon made clear, but Shannon's portrayal of him toes the line between crazy and awkward to watch. He'd be much more suited as a cartoon bad guy - some of his dialogue is way over the top and it's very hard to take him seriously at all. 

Speaking of which, Jamie Chung portrays the Chinese woman whose envelope gets Wilee into this mess, however the choice to have an American actress adopt a (terrible) Chinese accent is an odd one indeed. Her wooden acting is incredibly off-putting, and despite her story becoming the more intricate pieces of the plot puzzle, it's hard to feel any sympathy for her at all. Blame it on the script or blame it on the acting but either way her character is just an awkward nuisance that slows the breathless pace of the film down to boring lows. That is until Wilee returns on screen shortly after with his action packed speed chases and Gordon-Levitt's likability.

Summary

Premium Rush isn't the biggest film of 2012, nor is it likely to be the most memorable - yet, when it's good, it's one of the most enjoyable. From the opening scene of Wilee flying through the air after a crash all the way to the finale, the film doesn't want you to focus on a sub-par plot, instead encouraging a good time. This year's man of the moment, Joseph Gordon-Levitt provides a fantastic performance, carrying out most of the bike scenes and stunts on his own merit, while director David Koepp shows some brilliant technique in regards to the breathless chase scenes and trendy digital effects as Wilee maps out his route. It's not perfect - the plot sags in places and the side acting is quite frankly horrendous, but despite this, Premium Rush plays out like a wacky live action cartoon that will definitely deliver on all its expectations.

7/10

See it if you liked: Transporter (2002), The Other Guys (2010), Date Night (2010)