Do you know what I thought when I first saw previews for Premium Rush? I wondered what Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Shannon* were doing in the film. It's a film about a bike messenger; how did it attract these two impressive actors? My guess? They owed the studio a popcorn flick so they could keep making their normal, more independent films.
Premium Rush is the story of a bike messenger, JGL**, trying to deliver a package while Shannon's cop character is relentlessly attempting to obtain it. It's not particularly clever, and it's actually quite silly, when you stop to think about it. For some weird reason, that doesn't make it a bad film.
The casting is both the most unusual element of Premium Rush and the best. Because the script is being spoken by JGL and Michael Shannon, it seems more realistic. I had heard the complaint that the dialogue is short and minimal, but it actually fits for JGL's character. Based on the type of life he leads, you wouldn't expect him to be into long monologues. Shannon competently delivers all the crazy implied by the script for his character, and he's truly fun to watch.
Capably filmed, the movie looks good. The film-makers do a good job of making bike chases seem fun. As a matter of fact, I kind of want to go get a bike now. I probably wouldn't be as skilled as they are in the movie though. A good job is done showing the types of split second decisions the messengers have to make while zooming around New York City.
All in all, Premium Rush looks ridiculous, but it's a ton of fun. The silliness is capably handled, making a fun popcorn movie. It kind of felt like the type of film that would have been made in the mid to late 90s, when biking and blading and boarding were EXTREME!!!! Either way, I don't regret paying to see the movie in the theater.
*He's Agent Nelson Van Alden on Boardwalk Empire, and you'll see him as General Zod soon.
**His name is too long to keep typing out. I can't just use his last name because I'm not sure if I need to use both of them.
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