Dodging corrupt cops, spandex-wearing girlfriend thieves and New York City traffic is all in a days work for extremely attractive bike messenger Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). After being requested to deliver a very important envelope, Wilee finds himself knee-deep in illegal money trafficking and in hot pursuit by a New York City detective (Michael Shannon) bent on using the cash to pay his own debt.
While “Premium Rush” is being marketed as a serious, all-out chase through New York, the film is very aware of itself and is actually really funny. Using over-the-top chases and plain old humorous dialogue, the movie manages to keep the audience laughing while also on their toes.
Wilee has a knack for seeing every possible route his bike could travel, a great asset for a bike messenger trying his hardest not to get run over. Taking a break from the scene, we see Wilee take each route and exactly what would happen if he made the mistake of taking said route. Many of these scenes end with Wilee getting hit by a car. But some of them include running into strollers, causing car accidents that prove fatal for others and even getting hit by a car, thrown into the air and then run over by yet another car. Moral of the story: watch out for that baby!
These scenes are done using obvious CGI — computer generated images — but that just adds to the hilarity. Along with the CGI of these scenes, “Premium Rush” uses technology to its advantage by using the iPhone as a crucial element in the bike messenger’s every day job: making calls, sending texts and mapping routes for deliveries.
But even better is the director’s choice of taking those routes and using them for our own benefit.
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Making the entire screen one large map of NYC, we are able to see where Wilee is headed and even an estimated time of arrival. These CGI models of NYC allow us to zoom in on areas and travel with light-speed through the city that never sleeps.
The film also takes us through the real streets of New York City, where extreme car vs. bike, bike vs. bike and dude vs. bike chases all take place. We are even taken through Central Park as Wilee races his spandex-clad nemesis (Wole Parks) is order to get back the envelope.
A perfect 90 minutes, “Premium Rush” manages to keep the audience entertained while still providing an action flick with a sense of humor. With laughs and excitement abounding, “Premium Rush” is an homage to the streets of New York City, bike messengers and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s calves.
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