Riding a bicycle can be fun and it’s good, healthy exercise. And in real life, some great competition can be had from a bike race. But it’s pretty difficult to sell riding a bicycle as the basis of a would-be cool action-thriller and there’s a reason there’s not a ton of truly bike-centric movies, after a couple of attempts in the '80s like Quicksilver and Rad. (Arguably the greatest bicycle movie ever made? Pee-wee’s Big Adventure).
That’s the tough road Premium Rush has to face going in, but it’s not an insurmountable one. With the right characters and a clever story, sure, why not? We suspend a lot of disbelief at the movies, so why not go with the flow on the story of a bike messenger who finds himself carrying a valuable package that has him in mortal danger from some unsavory types? There’s room for some cool chase scenes and bike stunts, and it doesn’t hurt to have a terrific actor like Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead. Unfortunately though, Premium Rush never really comes together and plays as a profoundly silly film for much of its running time.
Gordon-Levitt stars as Wilee (as in Coyote), a Manhattan bike messenger who lives his life at full speed – literally, because he has fixed gears and no breaks on his bicycle. Which may be pretty stupid and dangerous to some, but Wilee has his own POV on it and about how you should never slow down in life and such and such. Subtle, Premium Rush is not. Picking up a package from a friend, Nima (Jamie Chung), Wilee is approached by Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon), all smiles and grins as he claims the package was given out as a mistake. But when Wilee refuses to give it back, intent on delivering it to its proper destination, Monday turns out to be a rather unhinged, violent type who will do just about anything to get the envelope and its mystery contents back.
Premium Rush takes place over the course of a few hours (several flashbacks give us some info on what occurred for Monday and Nima earlier in the day to set up the events that will plague Wilee later), as Wilee -- aided by his semi-estranged girlfriend and fellow bike messenger, Vanessa (Dania Ramirez) -- races through town with Monday in pursuit. And yes, Wilee does think to go to the cops, only to hit a big obstacle when he does. One you’d think he might think of ways around, but if he did, then the movie would be over.
Premium Rush comes from David Koepp, who directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with John Kamps. As a screenwriter, Koepp has had his hand in an incredible amount of blockbusters, including Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds and many, many more. But in-between writing mega-budget films for the likes of Spielberg, he’s also directed smaller films, with mixed results. I’m a big fan of Stir of Echoes (starring Quicksilver’s own Kevin Bacon!), though Secret Window was pretty bad, while Ghost Town was pleasant, if forgettable.
Premium Rush is a lesser offering from Koepp. It never gels and one of the biggest problems is the lack of a consistent tone. This is all pretty ridiculous stuff, but ridiculous can be fun or exciting. And there are moments in Premium Rush that work and wink at the audience – Wilee is able to quickly glance at a packed intersection and think through what would happen if he chose one of several possible routes, which we see play out a few times. The carnage some of these “What if” scenarios lead to is overtly cartoonish and funny, hinting at an offbeat, self-aware version of this story that sadly is never embellished upon.
Instead of embracing that feel, we get some huge tonal shifts throughout the film. The backstory on how sweet immigrant Nima (Chung is asked to pull off a Chinese accent she can’t sell) got involved with these shady characters is incredibly schmaltzy and earnest, and includes some scenes seemingly meant to pull at the audiences’ heartstrings, with eye-rolling results. And Wilee’s life lessons through the day feel very awkwardly designed to give his character that “he learned something about himself” arc studio execs love, whether earned or not.
I’m a big fan of Shannon and his eccentric performances in projects such as Boardwalk Empire and The Runaways have been excellent. But he’s actually pretty bad in much of Premium Rush, seemingly deciding the only way he could feel at home in the midst of this ho-hum story was to go way over the top, as a bellowing, New Yawk thug. At one point, he has to exclaim, to himself, something akin to, “I can’t believe I’m chasing a kid on a bike!” while trying to run down Wilee in his car, and he follows it up with an incredibly goofy laugh that sounds like he’s about as dangerous an antagonist as Captain Harris in the Police Academy movies. All he lacks are some wacky sound effects to accompany him.
Ramirez is believably tough and capable in an underwritten role (she is mad about Wilee’s lack of dependability, yadda yadda), while Gordon-Levitt’s usual charisma and innate likability help sell more of what happens in Premium Rush than might otherwise have occurred with a weaker actor at the center. And the fact that the film was actually shot in Manhattan adds some excitement, giving a “you are there” feel as Wilee and his friends zoom through the busy, bustling streets.
But despite Gordon-Levitt’s valiant efforts, Premium Rush rarely comes to life and overstays its welcome. Ultimately, you’ll feel more satisfied by an actual 90 minute bicycle ride.
Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com
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