Premium Rush

David Koepp's Premium Rush is about as slight of an action movie as you're likely to find. Not that you'll have time to think about that while you're watching it. Much like the bike messengers who zip about Manhattan in the film, the screenplay by Koepp and John Camps seldom slows down, except for a flashback or two to fill in some necessary plot information. This isn't exactly a plot or character-driven film, anyway. It's a stunt movie, and at that, it's a complete success.

I personally always enjoy it when a movie gives us a look into a profession that is seldom seen in most films. That is certainly the case here, as we are introduced to the high speed world of bicycle messengers, who zip in and out of New York gridlock traffic in order to deliver their parcels on time. We're introduced to the best of the lot, Wilee (as in the coyote from the Looney Tune shorts). Played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Wilee is the devil-may-care type, swerving in and out of traffic, and always looking for the safest route to his destination. The film's best moments are when we get to see him faced with a tough traffic situation, and he surveys his options to avoid a possibly fatal accident. We get to see these different alternatives play out. If he turns left, he'll get creamed by that semi barreling down the road. If he turns right, he'll hit a woman with a baby stroller. If he does some clever zig-zagging down the middle of the road, he's home free. Moments like this not only show cleverness in Koepp's direction, but also shows us what kind of split second decisions he must make every day.

We get a brief glimpse into Wilee's life before the plot kicks in. He walked away from a career in law, not wanting to be tied down with a desk job. His on again-off again girlfriend, Vanessa (Dania Ramirez), is a bike messenger also, and is in danger of falling in love with his personal rival on the messenger circuit, the arrogant Manny (Wole Parks). The plot is set into motion when Vanessa's roommate, Nima (Jamie Chung), attempts to smuggle her young son out of China by delivering something to a woman in Chinatown by 7 PM. Wilee is put in care of the package, but as he begins the delivery, a crooked cop by the name of Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) stops him, and tries to get the package he's delivering. His attempts to obtain it grow more violent as the film goes on. We witness in flashbacks that the object Wilee is delivering is worth a lot of money, and Bobby needs it to pay off some gambling debts. The chase begins, and pretty much does not let up for the next 80 minutes or so.

Even though he has many directing efforts to his credit, David Koepp is more known for writing screenplays to big budget blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Spider-Man. In Premium Rush, he gets to show a lot of skill behind the camera with how he shoots the action. You would think that since most of the action concerns bikes and cars screaming down city streets, there would be a lot of shaky cam action to keep up with it all. Fortunately, this is not the case. Not only does Koepp give us a clear view of all the action, but he also shows it from different angles (up above, first-person) in order to keep things from getting stagnant. These, combined with the clever "split second decision" sequences mentioned earlier makes this one of the more visually interesting action films out there right now. The creative and fast-paced direction here certainly thrilled me than anything in last weekend's The Expendables 2.

The film also expertly mixes some professional stunt work and well-done CG to recreate the dangers that bike messengers face every day in the city. Fortunately, it's all blended quite seamlessly, so we don't spend the whole movie trying to figure out what's what. Joseph Gordon-Levitt supposedly did some of his own bike stunts in this film, and it does look like practical stunts and effects were used as much as possible, which is almost a necessity in a film such as this. It's a good thing the film seldom if ever slows down, because when it stops long enough to focus on its plot, the movie gets bogged down a little by Michael Shannon's silly and over the top villain performance. He chews the scenery as much as possible, which is fine when he's driving fast on the tail of a bike messenger. But, when he has to deliver a real scene, his performance sometimes comes across as more than a little cartoonish.

Everybody else's performance, fortunately, is a little more grounded. They come across as likable, hard-working people who just get wrapped up in something much bigger than they anticipated. There's an honesty in the way the messengers talk to each other, and how they relate to one another. That's something that kind of caught me off guard. While these messengers risk their lives on the streets of Manhattan, they are not just mindless thrill seekers. They have real lives and concerns, and the movie does touch upon that. It also helps that this is a particularly strong cast of young actors in the leads, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt once again branching out into a very different kind of role.

Premium Rush does not offer to be much more than a good time at the movies, and it delivers on that simple necessity. But it's also been made with a lot more skill than you may expect. Thanks to its solid direction and strong lead performance, this movie ended up surprising me in a lot of ways, as well as being a lot of fun.

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