Sunday 16 September 2012

Premium Rush



Premium Rush appeared in the listings without invitation to mess up my cinema schedule. Despite not knowing much about the film the fact that Looper is released in a few weeks time meant that this particular Joseph Gordon-Levitt offering got bumped up the queue.

PLOT: Bicycle courier Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) picks up an urgent package which has to be delivered across town by 7.00pm. Wilee is chased through the streets of New York by corrupt Detective Monday (Michael Shannon) who is aware that the package contains a ticket to a large sum of money. END PLOT

The premise is basically a chase after a McGuffin, although to be fair, attempts are made to explain the McGuffin through a series of flashbacks which will either endear or annoy you.

Premium Rush makes up for the light plot by bringing hefty doses of action and tension. Wilee rarely stops moving and the running time of ninety minutes means that Premium Rush motors on at a fast pace which helps to keep up the momentum.

The bike chases through the rush hour New York traffic are very impressive and downright stressful. Gordon-Levitt and the rest of the cast do the vast majority of their own cycling and stunts which adds to the stress.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is having a great run at the moment and although Premium Rush is not going to be taking up nominations space come awards season it does show that he is a very capable lead.

Michael Shannon overacts his part but it doesn’t stray into annoying territory so he just about gets away with it.

It isn’t often that a thriller set in New York takes place during the daytime but Premium Rush uses how pretty the city is in the sun to its advantage. The film is shot from a cyclist point of view and the cinematography is stunning.

Premium Rush is a very solid thriller and gets an 8/10.  It’s worth a look in the cinema to experience the fast moving action but it also fits the bill as a go to ninety minute film and you all know how much I love those!

8 comments:

  1. Wow, a much better review than expected, something about the trailers annoyed me, so I was happy to see it come and go quickly stateside, maybe the trailer just didn't do it justice.

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    1. I never saw the trailer - Premium Rush just appeared in the listings and as it had Joseph Gordon-Levitt we gave it a go.

      It reminds me of Cellular on bicycles!!

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    2. Me comparing it to Cellular tells you all you need to know as you know how much I love that film lol!

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  2. Interesting review, not sure how I feel about this film. It will be on my horizon, but glad you found it solid and entertaining.

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    1. It was by no means a dark and gritty thriller but it passed ninety minutes very well.

      Solid and entertaining are sometimes all I am looking for in the cinema and it did the job very well

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  3. Nothing new that we haven’t seen or heard before, but it still has some fun with itself, even if the writing really takes away from it. Nice review Karina.

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    1. As the film never tries to be ground breaking I think it is okay to sometimes just enjoy the familiarity

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