Thursday, January 24, 2013

Premium Rush (2012)


This is a good film that’s doomed to obscurity. I say this based on the fact that this was in an out of theaters rather quickly and because anyone I’ve mentioned it to stared at me blankly when I mentioned the title. It seems almost no one remembers Premium Rush. That’s kind of a sad thing because the film is actually a pretty good B thriller.

The plot of the film has Joseph Gordon Levitt as a Manhattan bike messenger. Sent to his old ala mater to pick up a package he is almost instantly stopped by “security” who wants the package back because it was being mis-billed. Levitt smells a rat and refuses and sets off to deliver the package in the time allotted. This results in his being chased by the “security” guy, actually a dirty cop, and battling with an ex-girlfriend about his life style and a rival who wants to get his pay check.

What’s in the package is irrelevant, all you need know is that this is a high speed chase film that doesn’t make a great deal of sense but is a great deal fun. The fun comes from a couple of things:

1- the shifting time frame which shows us what got us to this point, what’s in the package and why people want to stop it’s delivery

2- The pop up visuals that make the film like a video game/smart phone showing us the course through the city, and the possible results of bad choices (they are gruesome but fun)

3- The witty dialog which has everyone cracking wise even in “deadly” circumstances

4- The chase it self which shows off Manhattan at a speed impossible short of on a bicycle.

As I frequently say, its not high art but it is well done.

Definitely worth seeing with a huge tub of popcorn and some sodas

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