Premium Rush (2012)

In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.

Director:

David Koepp

Writers:

David Koepp, John Kamps

Stars:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Wilee
Dania Ramirez	...	Vanessa
Sean Kennedy	...	Marco
Kym Perfetto	...	Polo (as Kymberly Perfetto)
Anthony Chisholm	...	Tito
Ashley Austin Morris	...	Receptionist
Wolé Parks	...	Manny
Kevin Bolger	...	Squid
Aasif Mandvi	...	Raj
Lauren Ashley Carter	...	Phoebe
Charles Borland	...	Campus Guard
Michael Shannon	...	Bobby Monday
Aaron Tveit	...	Kyle (Student)
Jamie Chung	...	Nima
Christopher Place	...	Bike Cop

Storyline

Wilee is one of 1,500 bike couriers in Manhattan who rides on the edge by having a bike with no brakes. On this day, Wilee has a delivery that is so valuable that a corrupt NYC Detective, who needs the money, begins to chase Wilee throughout the city to get it before the envelope is delivered.

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Plot Keywords:

chase | bicycle messenger | manhattan new york city | co written by director | car bicycle accident | 

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Taglines:

Ride Like Hell

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, intense action sequences and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bobby Monday's alias Forrest J. Ackerman is a tribute to Forey Ackerman, noted science fiction and horror movie fan and memorabilia collector (he coined the term "sci fi" in 1959). He's had cameos in 48 movies and represented Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and Hugo Gernsback (after whom the "Hugo" award is named) as their literary agent.

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Goofs

When Vanessa is riding, she has a brake on the front of her bike for much of the frame. This is possible due to her having a freewheel on her back wheel. This allows her to coast, as she's shown to do many times. Once she removes the brake after the crash, she would only be able to slow or stop by putting her foot on the tire or dragging her feet. With a freewheel you need a brake.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Wilee: I can't work in an office. I don't like wearing suits. I like to ride. Fixed gear, steel frame, no brakes. The bike cannot coast. The pedals never stop turning. Can't stop. Don't want to either. There are 1,500 bike messengers on the streets of New York City. You can e-mail it, FedEx it, fax it, scan it, but when none of that shit works and this thing has to be at that place by this time, you need us.

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Crazy Credits

In the credits, footage of the aftermath of an actual bike accident Joseph Gordon-Levitt had on the streets of New York City during filming is shown, including Gordon-Levitt showing off his injury.

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Connections

Featured in The Big Review: Episode #1.9 (2012)

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Soundtracks

Weekend
Written and Performed by Smith Westerns
Courtesy of Fat Possum Records
By arrangement with Spirit Music Group, Inc.

User Reviews

Fast and furious... On bikes

The movie is set around bicycle messenger/courier who chases and is chased around New York City due to an envelope containing a wanted item by people with different intentions. The events - not shown in chronological order, through various flash-forward and flash-back cuts - are intense, but not too realistic: New York is full of policemen, on foot/in cars/on bikes, and it is not likely to race and speed negligently for miles through dozens of blocks, causing accidents or incidents... Chases are, however, gripping to follow, and thanks to great performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Wilee and Michael Shannon as Bobby Monday, the movie goes beyond trivial cat and mouse play (only pity that Monday did not have the same vehicle than Wilee). Female performers, on the other hand, are not very catchy and romantic/sympathetic background is rather perfunctory.

The movie is definitely for you if you like fast races and thrill within a big city and/or you know NY well (joy of recognition).

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin Cantonese

Release Date:

24 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Premium Rush

Filming Locations:

Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,030,164, 26 August 2012

Gross USA:

$20,275,446

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$31,083,599

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Pariah

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1