"Premium Rush” is probably the best movie anyone is going to make about Manhattan bike messengers. It has energetic chase scenes, a story that unfolds nicely and characters worth pulling for. I would have liked it to be grittier, but this is 2012, not 1972.
The movie follows a recent law school graduate and bike messenger named Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) on his quest to deliver an envelope across town by a certain time. Wilee never took the bar exam because he refuses to wear a grey suit for the rest of his life. He’d rather be on the streets, weaving through traffic with the ease and precision of a machine and making “eighty bucks on a good day.”
That might sound like it would get tiresome, but Wilee keeps his job interesting by riding a bike with no brakes and a fixed gear, meaning the pedals are always moving. (His bike is a metaphor for him.) While dangerous – the movie should come with a “Do not try this at home” disclaimer – he’s the best at what he does. When Wilee approaches a tricky situation, such as an intersection at which he’s going to be crossing against the light, he’s able to instantly determine which routes will lead to broken bones or possibly death and which option will take him safely through.
When Wilee does this, writer and director David Koepp slows down time to show him calculating different routes, seeing in his mind the consequences of choosing poorly and then visualizing himself slicing through the speeding vehicles to the other side of the intersection. To help viewers keep up, an animated arrow weaves through traffic as Wilee analyzes each path. It’s a cheesy television commercial trick, but it serves a purpose.
When Wilee gets the call to pick up the envelope and rush it across town, he doesn’t know his skills will be tested like never before. Just minutes after taking possession of it, a man stops him and insists he hand it over. The man’s name is Bobby Monday, and he seems too desperate to acquire its contents. Wilee refuses and speeds off, prompting the first of several chases through packed streets.
Koepp blends the action with several unfolding dramas: Wilee’s attempt to get back on good terms with his girlfriend; his rivalry with another bike messenger for the affection of the girl; the attempt by the sender of the envelope to accomplish an important task; the revelation of what’s in the envelope and why; and the sticky mess Monday is in as a result of a gambling problem. Koepp keeps the chases coming but also frequently steps back in time to tell bits and pieces of these stories and provide a clear view of the bigger picture. I like how he constructed the screenplay and stitched the movie together.
I was not crazy about the way he chose to communicate where the bikers are and where they’re headed. As Wilee begins a route, the camera will zoom in on a cheap looking Google Earth-style map of Manhattan. I’m sure Koepp would have liked for it to looked better than it does, but budget constraints probably prevented that. Then, when the bikers use their cells phones to find out where they’re going, tacky fonts and a Google Earth-style photo interface show the destination.
Worse, Monday never seems like a real threat; rather, he comes across as more of a cartoon character than a villainous thug. Michael Shannon’s performance flirts with being annoying, but fortunately, just as he’d start to grate on my nerves, Koepp would switch scenes.
I also thought “Premium Rush” lost momentum near the end. I like how Koepp brings the different storylines together and then wraps them up, but I was disappointed in the lack of a show-topping final chase. If someone does try to make a better bike messenger movie, they’ll know not to use a bike flash mob.
Despite these niggles, “Premium Rush” is worth seeing. The high-octane bike chases and stunt work are great fun, and Gordon-Levitt has charisma to spare. Just don’t try those stunts at home.
Rated PG-13 for violence, intense action and language. Three stars out of four. Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.