Finally a mainstream movie! This week I decided to hit a more mainstream film to do my review on and I'm glad that I did. Over the weekend a friend and I decided to see the high speed bicycle movie Premium Rush. I admit I was skeptical with this movie, which ran at the coat tails of summer ( aka the Dumping Ground of Summer Blockbusters), and thought the this was going to be a waste of time. Let me explain in full detail however in my review :)
The Review
My first impression with this film was DAMN! I didn't have high hopes for this film; the only reason I saw it was that it features my all time favorite actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and I wanted to add it to the list of the films I have watched with him in it. The plot was not the totally conventional "speed chase/robbery/drugs" rodeo, but involves a high adrenaline story about the value of money and how our decisions in life affect how we survive terrifying jobs. David Koepp, the director, makes interesting choices with scenes and uses clever writing and shocking, but hilarious scenarios to make this more than just a dumb movie. The film is akin to Kiss, Kiss Bang, Bang (which I did like very much) and you find likable characters even if they act like jerks.
The plot of Premium Rush is about Wilee (Gordon-Levitt) a delivery bicyclist who gets caught in a theft between the Chinese mafia and a NYPD cop in serious gambling debt (Michael Shannon). Wilee also has a taste for speed and gets in accidents which caused his girlfriend and co-deliverer (Dania Ramirez) to break up with him for a safer and built cyclist Marco (Sean Kennedy). The story is told from different times ranging from present to past and past to future based on the two hours that it takes to deliver the priceless parcel from A to B.
I am a huge fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He can change from being an innocent golden child to a prick that you may have met or delt in your life. This role is no different from past roles he has played and his effort is shown here. He easily fits into this role as someone who does the right thing at all costs, but is still careless to a fault and almost loses his life. It's a stereotype but an enjoyable one at the same time. Michael Shannon was such an asshole in this film and I did hate his character, but in the sense of he was supposed to be loathed. The people you were supposed to dislike you did and the ones you were supposed to support, you do. The actors add to the attention invested into the story.
One major component of the film I did like was there are scenes where Wilee sees all possible outcomes when he rides his bike. This is reminiscent to the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies, where Sherlock sees into how he can perform a fight scene efficiently. I find it clever and gives the viewer an idea how the character thinks and shows the intelligence they serve. What is even better is that Wilee doesn't talk in his "visions" and instead relies on the imagery to shock the viewer or show them how a mind works. The music was typical action scene music and really wasn't that much of an impact on the viewing, but it does the job and keeps the action scenes full of action.
Watch the film just to see it; it's not a waste of time, but it does require you to not take too many things seriously. The plot is simplistic, but all action; Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great as always and so is Michael Shannon. I didn't have high expectations for this film, but I was highly impressed with this. I recommend it for fans of action. Just beware, some scenes can get graphic without being bloody.
Ciao!
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