Premium Rush (David Koepp, 2012)

[The Narrator Returns]

Premium Rush (David Koepp) is aptly named, because the main character (Wilee, played wonderfully by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who had himself a dynamite 2012) and the film itself are always in a rush. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, the film's breackneck pace is fitting, considering Wilee is a delivery boy who rides a fixie with no brakes and has no time to sit back and reflect. Time is of the utmost importance, and it's Wilee's real nemesis, not Michael Shannon playing a police officer chasing Wilee for an envelope he's about to deliver. In fact, his character is almost completely incompetent at everything, including gambling, keeping up with Wilee, and even beating people up successfully. Wilee might be named after the Coyote, but he's the Road Runner in this situation, always outsmarting Shannon, who always ends up with an anvil on his head. As for the film itself, it's pretty much a perfect popcorn movie; exciting, funny, and tense, often at the same time. It's probably the closest thing there's been to an American version of Run Lola Run (hell, when Wilee's trying to get out of a tight spot, he imagines the various scenarios and paths to take, which two times out of three end badly, while the other time just barely leads him to safety).

[cdnchris]

Agreed it's a pretty decent popcorn flick but other than Shannon's really bizarre performance I can't say there was anything that really popped out or was very memorable--I took my wife to see it in theaters and know I liked it enough while watching it but can only really recall Shannon and a couple of small action pieces.

hell, when Wilee's trying to get out of a tight spot, he imagines the various scenarios and paths to take, which two times out of three end badly, while the other time just barely leads him to safety

I liked those moments, especially the late one

SpoilerShow

where he's screwed no matter what.

[mfunk9786]

It was a standout film, and about as good as it was going to be, but still doesn't loom very large in my memory. It's stuck in cinematic purgatory, and if I could paraphrase The Simpsons... "Too good for blockbuster town... too much of a blockbuster for arthouse town."

[matrixschmatrix]

Yeah, it's about as good a movie as I've seen that I was entirely satisfied with having watched once. Felt vaguely pandering with the whole flash mob thing, but it was fun throughout and definitely carried by the Michael Shannon performance.

[sighkingu]

I'm surprised to read all the positive words for Premium Rush. I found it to be absolute drek. Within a few minutes, I'd grown to despise the main character, which made it increasingly difficult to go with the flow and suspend my belief later. In Speed, there was a bomb on the bus so I could understand it not stopping and going through red lights. No one thought about hopping a taxi?

Michael Shannon alone seemed to understand this was a cartoon and acted accordingly. All the cool shots in the world couldn't save this one.

[mfunk9786]

Why had you grown to despise the main character?

[sighkingu]

The reckless abandon of riding into traffic and not caring about the consequences. They lost me from there.

[willoneill]

To be fair, that's pretty much the case for all bike couriers in real life.