Review No.182: Premium Rush

Plot: Premium Rush stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Wilee a bicycle messenger who is tasked with delivering a package from a university to an address in Chinatown however soon finds himself pursued by a number of interested parties. The plot rewinds to various points to explain why Michael Shannon's corrupt copper Bobby Monday is after the package while in addition also reveals the link between Wilee and the package's owner who is desperate for it to get to its destination on time.

Positives: This definitely seemed like a film that was based around the speed-cycling scenes rather than any sort of plot but Mitchell Amundsen's cinematography captures them perfectly. Michael Shannon is absolutely terrifying as Bobby Monday and raises the quality of the film quite a bit channelling the spirit of Christopher Walken in his portrayal of the gambling-addicted cop. There is one fantastic scene where an injured Wilee is being interrogated by Monday and let's just say his methods are far from savoury Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also good as the unsuspecting everyman who is just trying to get a bit of extra money by taking this job on not knowing that he's been selected for a reason.

Negatives: I get the impression that Premium Rush think it's more clever than it actually though I found its non-linear structure to be a distraction rather than an improvement. I feel all the stuff with Chinese gangsters and sinister loan-sharks was all a bit far-fetched as was the fact that Monday was allowed to get away with all of his wrong-doings. I also didn't much care for Wilee's relationship with fellow messenger Vanessa though I suppose it was necessary in terms of a couple of the plot points.

Verdict: Incredible shots of the bike messengers whizzing around the city coupled with another excellent Michael Shannon performance means that Premium Rush has a lot to offer however due to the fact that it seems to have ideas above its station I will award it a fitting 6.5/10