![Plane [DVD]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71fEfLjBgyL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
![Kingdom of Heaven: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81f68t9iPlL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
Get ready for this rock 'em sock 'em roller coaster ride on two tires. This is the Joseph Gordon-Levitt outing as a bike messenger supreme. I loved this film.
There are a lot of neat elements. First time director David Koepp rivets us to our seats with the almost non-stop biking action on New York's savage streets. He did a kickass job on the action elements with some tight street level shots of the bikes in motion. It tracks, though. Unlike a lot of action films that get caught up in the action for its own sake. All the activity fits and furthers the story. Very nice use of the GPS as a tool for the messengers and also for shooting out a map for the audience to see and understand the context of the riding. Koepp has first rate screen writing credits including Jurassic Park, Spiderman and Panic Room.
So, what about the story. It involves JGL in the role of Wilee ( as in Wiley Coyote, beep beep) three time winner of the best bike messenger award. He used to do trick riding, but now confines himself to his fixed gear single speed bike with no brakes, a true wheelman.
His hot ex-gf, Vanessa, played by Dania Ramirez, also delivers the goods on two wheels. Their issue though is that Wilee quit law school to ride his bike while Dania is working on the bike to get a straight job and leave bike messengering. They have split up because he blew off her school program for a bike race.
The plot gets interesting quickly and mysteriously. Koepp here gets credit for his non-linear delivery. You have probably seen the trailer on TV which shows Wilee being chased on his bike and screaming into the phone about what was in that package.
Koepp fills us in with a number of flashbacks that work wonderfully for my money. They reminded me of Tarantino's use of them in Pulp Fiction.
A very clever cop with a gambling problem played by Michael Shannon provides the dark side of the story. He wants the message the Wilee has contracted to deliver. Wilee, of course, refuses to give it up. So, we have an establishment cop for a heavy pitted against a bike messenger who wants to play by the rules.
And the fun begins with the first of many chases.
It's fascinating that the whole bike messenger world is an outside-the-establishment scene. The writing is so good that you don't know if this is just good-guy vs bad-guy, or really an anti-establishment story. As authoritarianism has flourished in the last few years, the idea of authority figures being evil is a logical response.
Not incidentally, I loved the James Cameron TV series Dark Angel with Jessica Alba as a bike messenger. There is a slight reminiscence of that off the grid camaraderie here, too.
I always liked JGL in Third Rock From the Sun also on TV.
I recommend Premium Rush highly. It will definitely make you want to get out an ride your bike - just not through New York traffic.
I can't wait for the DVD. I hope it will have explanations of some of the trick bike riding.
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Reviews with images
The pedels never stop... and neither does the action!
No brakes... this movie doesn't need one! Action packed with tons of bike stunts and uniquely animated "crash" scenes intermixed with genuine crashes and a captivating story line, Premium Rush blows the dust off Kevin Bacon's Quicksilver! Its segmented time sequence might be hard for those who dislike "flashbacks" to enjoy, but each segment ties into one another with fluidity that makes the movie uniquely individual and easy to keep up with. The characters, unlike most movies, do not share the same level of fluidity, instead coarsely interacting with each other in a way that's shockingly realistic. Movies that can capture a human quality are always enjoyable, but Premium Rush goes beyond that with character interactions that are decidedly real world. With only a few slow sections and bloopers for critical viewers to pick out, this is a fast paced one of a kind movie that makes you want burn your tie and shred a fixie!
Top reviews from other countries
José Luis García-Calvo Jaime
Para mi gusto, muy entretenida.
Reviewed in Spain on February 10, 2014
Daniel Fischer
Zeit, seinen Drahtesel wieder aus der Versenkung zu holen!
Reviewed in Germany on January 19, 2013