Premium Rush
Not every movie has to be complex or thought-provoking to
work. Some of the best pleasures of cinema are the movies that have a simple
premise, with maybe a few extra details thrown in to flesh out the concept.
Action movies such as “Crank” accomplish this perfectly well, and horror movies
like “Halloween” can get away with sticking to their focused guns. “Premium
Rush” is another movie in the same line as those; set up a plot with multiple
characters and motives, and then unleash the bread-and-butter bike chases that
audiences paid to see.
“Premium Rush” also sidesteps one of the issues with many
“simple” movies with its creative story structure. Right from the start we’re
thrown into the action with our hero, Wiley, speeding down the New York City
streets on his brakeless bike to deliver a package. Once he returns to the bike
messenger office, his boss hands him an envelope that soon has him being hunted
down by a crooked cop. The movie throws you directly into the action, and then assuredly
slides in flashbacks every now and then to flesh out the characters and plot
beyond it’s deceptively straightforward basis.
This back-and-forth arrangement means there is never a dull
moment as we are entertained by the action while waiting for the next piece of
the plot to fall into place at anytime. To make this work, a film such as this
needs a charismatic cast to carry it through the nonstop movement, and
everybody ably fills their positions. As our snarky lead, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
brings charm and determination to a character that we should probably hate in
real life (seriously, cyclists are irritating, dangerous people, especially in
a place like N.Y.C.)
While I’m sure many people would see this movie for his
presence, the clear standout player here is Michael Shannon, as the corrupt
cop, Bobby Monday. Shannon is typically known for his reserved acting style in
very serious dramas, but “Premium Rush” gives him the chance to take off the
reigns and have fun. Monday is a character that constantly digs himself into a
deeper hole and is full of awkward tics, and Shannon’s willingness to go all
out yields unexpectedly riotous results. He’s hams it up in the best kind of
way, relentlessly barreling through the film like the coyote chasing
Gordon-Levitt’s Road Runner.
And when it brings itself back to the bike chases, “Premium
Rush” doesn’t pause for a minute. Even when characters are learning new
information and talking to each other, they remain planted in their seat riding
down the crowded streets. The stunt work (even when it’s an obvious stuntman
doing it) is clever and lively, and director David Koepp finds creative places
to throw the camera into the flow without relying on cheap visual effects and
flashiness. The extent of his tricks is a digital map that shows Wiley’s path
and a “Sherlock Holmes” style effect where time slows down so Wiley can figure
out how to dodge traffic.
Koepp’s approach is straightforward and streamlined, which
is a perfect compliment for how the movie goes about its business. Whether
“Premium Rush” sticks with you once you leave the theater or its energetic
thrills fizzle from your mind moments later, that’s ultimately not the point.
It’s an adrenaline shot of a movie that achieves what most of the “Fast and the
Furious” movies miss out on: a sense of good, clean fun buoyed by likable
actors and a mischievous sense of humor.
3/4
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