Premium Rush

PREMIUM RUSH

Director : David Koepp

Year : 2012

Genre : Action

Rating : ***1/2

'Premium Rush' is an action thriller set in New York City starring Joseph Gordon Levitt, Michael Shannon and Dania Ramirez. Directed by screenwriter David Koepp most famous for writing the scripts for such blockbusters as 'Jurassic Park', 'Spider-man' and 'Mission Impossible' and utilising inventive visual effects reminiscent of 'Limitless', 'Premium Rush' is a much better movie than the material should allow. With well directed chase scenes, good performances and innovative camera work, the movie actually turns out to be one of the more fun and exhilarating, if not conventional movies of last year.

'Premium Rush' tells the story of Wilee, a young courier who delivers packages around Manhattan on a bicycle. To generate more speed and deliver more packages through the day, he removes the brakes from his bike which while enabling faster travel, increases the risk of a serious accident on the road. His reckless cycling has garnered him quite a reputation and when a mysterious envelope needs to be delivered quickly, he is the first choice for the job. After picking up the letter from a college, he attracts the interest of a corrupt cop, who chases him across the city determined to get the envelope for himself. As the movie develops, the policeman becomes more desperate and is forced to use more unorthodox methods to get what he wants from Wilee.

As previously mentioned, 'Premium Rush' is directed by David Koepp who while best known for screenwriting, has also helmed some noteworthy movies including 'Secret Window', the adaptation of the Stephen King novel starring Johnny Depp, 'Ghost Town' which starred Ricky Gervais and the supernatural horror' Stir Of Echoes'. While a large majority of his movies are interesting and thought provoking, they are not exactly visually innovative, so it was a strange choice for Koepp to direct such a CGI laden film. However, Koepp pulls it off with ease and the computer effects blend seamlessly into the action on screen. Another great thing about 'Premium Rush' is that unlike dozens of other movies set in Manhattan, there are hardly any sweeping shots of the city with the multiple skyscrapers and architecture. Instead, Koepp chooses to focus on the grungier and urban aspects of the city, the backstreets and alleyways that are not usually explored in mainstream cinema. This immerses the audience in the world that the couriers live in and letting us get to understand the circumstances and trials they have to go through on a daily basis.

Joseph Gordon Levitt is well cast as Wilee, who's recklessness creates an interesting and convincing character with little effort and with film such as 'Inception', 'The Dark Knight Rises', 'Looper' and now this, he is really showing that he was it takes to be a leading man in both mainstream and arthouse cinema. I just hope that he expands out to more independent fare and explore different characterisations and archetypes, because I have a feeling that he could play a fantastic villain. While 'Premium Rush' doesn't push Levitt's acting ability into new areas and really showcase what he can do, the movie allows him to show his physical capabilities and the effort he puts into roles. During principal photography, Levitt crashed into the back of a taxi, causing him to fly into the windshield and slashing his arm open. However, he wasn't seriously injured and was able to continue filming. Contrasting to the controlled performance of Levitt, Michael Shannon plays the corrupt and borderline psychotic cop Monday. From 'Revolutionary Road' to 'Take Shelter', Shannon shows that he is the master of portraying characters who are on the brink of insanity. While 'Take Shelter' shows the character that he plays as a much more sympathetic archetype, 'Premium Rush' allows him to play a man who has no scruples or compassion and you can clearly see that Shannon is having a great time playing the character. As a result, Shannons performance is the highlight of the film and every minute he is on screen. it is captivating cinema. The supporting cast are good, but are completely shadowed by both Levitt and Shannon's acting abilities.

Watching 'Premium Rush' is an exhausting watch. Not because of the film itself, but because of the cycling scenes which are filmed in such a kinetic and adrenaline fuelled way. Knowing the dangers that the couriers face on the road make watching these scenes tense and added to this the tracking camerawork that follows the characters make you feel that you are cycling alongside them. Filming them from the side also blinds the audience to incoming traffic on the road and this just adds to the tension created by the director. This breakneck approach to filming makes 'Premium Rush' a high octane chase movie which allows very little room to breathe. It also shows that Koepp can direct fast action as well as slow, brooding horror.

While no masterpiece, 'Premium Rush' is a fun and exhilarating movie that has at it's heart two great performances from actors who are really having fun with their roles, heart stopping chase scenes and a satisfying climax which while cliched, is perfectly suited to the tone set by the director. Yes, 'Premium Rush' is highly conventional and doesn't really bring anything new to the table, but for an attention diverting, moderately thrilling film, you could do a lot worse.


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