I've been looking forward to Premium Rush for a while, so it was a little disheartening to see so many negative comments about the film. That was before I looked at RT and saw the nearly 80% fresh. I am inclined to agree. While it does have some holes in it, Rush is a fun film filled with many edge of your seat moments. Seeing our biker hero Wilee zip in and out of traffic in NYC is a thrill ride that rarely lets up.
The plot is simplistic enough to carry the film. Wilee is a bike courier in New York who lives his life on the edge. His "fixie" modified bike, with no gears or breaks, guides him at high speeds as he almost constantly avoids injury and even death. On this particular day, Wilee gets an envelope to deliver that turns out to be quite valuable, enough for a corrupt NYC Detective to chase him throughout the city trying to get it. But this is all just set up for some of the best high speed action on screen in a while.
I suppose a lot has to be owed to the unique take on cycling in the city. It creates for some interesting and hairy situations, as well as some slick effects work, that aids in the adrenaline rush, which almost never seems to let up. Certainly there are some slow down moments for exposition, but they are few as the main focus here is the dangerous riding for our couriers. The actors aid in delivering entertaining performances, including Joseph Gordon Levitt as Wilee, who brings the kind of energy and talent that you'd expect from the actor. However, Michael Shannon is the true star here as the main antagonist, who does come off as both threatening and slimy. He seems to have fun in the role, and that translates to a good time every time he's on screen. The rest of the cast is decent, if unexceptional. This includes Dania Ramirez of Heroes fame who doesn't seem to have much to go on besides the girlfriend role.
What you will most certainly see this for is the action in the film, and it is definitely pretty crazy. I'd be interested in seeing a behind the scenes of the film, because there is a near constant edge of your seat feeling to what is taking place on screen. The best thing about it is that it doesn't feel unnatural. Sure, it's obviously not entirely realistic, but it never feels fake either. In my book, this kind of unique action and adventure in a film, along with a breathless pace, makes the film a worthwhile end of summer catch.
