Directed by David Koepp, Written by David Koepp and John Kamps. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Wilee), Michael Shannon (Bobby Monday) and Dania Ramirez (Vanessa)
Premium Rush follows Wilee, the best bicycle messenger in New York. As mentioned in the trailer, he prefers "steel frame, fixed gear, no brakes". I didn't know what fixed gear meant but they explain that "the pedals are always moving...the bike can't coast". He rides without breaks because he loves to live on the edge. He went to law school but never took the bar exam because he couldn't stand the idea of working a suit-and-tie job. I wonder how he is able to live in New York City and still pay off his $150,000 debts (especially when earning "$80 on a good day") but they never really discuss it.
Anyway, Wilee is sent to Columbia Law School to pick up an envelope from his girlfriend's Chinese roommate. She tells him to deliver it to a store in Chinatown in 90 or so minutes. Upon leaving Wilee is confronted by Officer Bobby Monday who demands the envelope. Brushing off the officer, Wilee rides away. The movie then becomes a cat and mouse chase of Wilee and the cop. Jumps in time, inform us as to the backstory of the situation.
The Chinese girl, Nima, worked "three jobs over the past two years" to save up $50,000. She trades it into a Chinese mobster for a ticket. This ticket acts like cash, so whoever holds it, owns it. We don't know how it really works but, you know, its just one of those Mobster things. Nima needs to give the ticket to the woman in Chinatown so her son can be brought over from China. Illegally, I might add. Monday needs the ticket to pay off his underground gambling debts.
Much like Wilee's student loans, the whole illegal immigration thing isn't ever addressed. They mention, in passing, that it has something to do with her student visa. What about when that runs out? Never mind the fact that her son is being cared for by her mother. This becomes an issue of a mother and her son so it is A-Okay.
Premium Rush follows Wilee, the best bicycle messenger in New York. As mentioned in the trailer, he prefers "steel frame, fixed gear, no brakes". I didn't know what fixed gear meant but they explain that "the pedals are always moving...the bike can't coast". He rides without breaks because he loves to live on the edge. He went to law school but never took the bar exam because he couldn't stand the idea of working a suit-and-tie job. I wonder how he is able to live in New York City and still pay off his $150,000 debts (especially when earning "$80 on a good day") but they never really discuss it.
Anyway, Wilee is sent to Columbia Law School to pick up an envelope from his girlfriend's Chinese roommate. She tells him to deliver it to a store in Chinatown in 90 or so minutes. Upon leaving Wilee is confronted by Officer Bobby Monday who demands the envelope. Brushing off the officer, Wilee rides away. The movie then becomes a cat and mouse chase of Wilee and the cop. Jumps in time, inform us as to the backstory of the situation.
The Chinese girl, Nima, worked "three jobs over the past two years" to save up $50,000. She trades it into a Chinese mobster for a ticket. This ticket acts like cash, so whoever holds it, owns it. We don't know how it really works but, you know, its just one of those Mobster things. Nima needs to give the ticket to the woman in Chinatown so her son can be brought over from China. Illegally, I might add. Monday needs the ticket to pay off his underground gambling debts.
Much like Wilee's student loans, the whole illegal immigration thing isn't ever addressed. They mention, in passing, that it has something to do with her student visa. What about when that runs out? Never mind the fact that her son is being cared for by her mother. This becomes an issue of a mother and her son so it is A-Okay.
While I really disliked the villain, he does discuss the illegal immigration. He says to Wilee, "What did she give you? A sob story about her 7 siblings living in a little hut?" tearfully Wilee looks at him and says "It's for her son," to which Monday responds with a laugh. Monday isn't convinced, and quite frankly, I am not either.
Jabbing at Wilee's bruised ribs Wilee cries out and calls him a "douchebag". "Douchebag is so over used now," Monday complains, "kids these days just throw it around." I agree with him again. He continues in a little tangent about how inappropriate tv and movies are nowadays. "At the end [of some tv show], the kid says 'suck it' and, everyone laughs...there are kids watching this? How is this appropriate?" Take a guess at Gordon-Levitt's big line when the villain is defeated. Monday switches gears and interrogates/tortures Wilee more but his comments aren't substantially addressed.
Is that little tirade just to characterize Monday as the mean-adult type? Aside from this moment of sympathy, I hated his character. He was really goofy and loud. If he is a crooked cop (and a murderer) why does he have to act like a nagging parent?
Much like an teenager full of angst, this movie focuses on "community" for support. Government, be it police, immigration, or parents, is no good. When Wilee goes into the police station to report Monday, (before realizing Monday is a cop) he is treated with contempt. The bicycle community, however, is always ready to lend a hand; to protect Wilee as he makes the drop, all the couriers come together in a "flash mob". Nima, can't go to Immigration, so she turns to the Chinese community *cough* mafia *cough* who provide protection and transportation for her son.
Jabbing at Wilee's bruised ribs Wilee cries out and calls him a "douchebag". "Douchebag is so over used now," Monday complains, "kids these days just throw it around." I agree with him again. He continues in a little tangent about how inappropriate tv and movies are nowadays. "At the end [of some tv show], the kid says 'suck it' and, everyone laughs...there are kids watching this? How is this appropriate?" Take a guess at Gordon-Levitt's big line when the villain is defeated. Monday switches gears and interrogates/tortures Wilee more but his comments aren't substantially addressed.
Is that little tirade just to characterize Monday as the mean-adult type? Aside from this moment of sympathy, I hated his character. He was really goofy and loud. If he is a crooked cop (and a murderer) why does he have to act like a nagging parent?
Much like an teenager full of angst, this movie focuses on "community" for support. Government, be it police, immigration, or parents, is no good. When Wilee goes into the police station to report Monday, (before realizing Monday is a cop) he is treated with contempt. The bicycle community, however, is always ready to lend a hand; to protect Wilee as he makes the drop, all the couriers come together in a "flash mob". Nima, can't go to Immigration, so she turns to the Chinese community *cough* mafia *cough* who provide protection and transportation for her son.
The disappointingly immature position on issues is what kills Premium Rush for me. Aside from the immigration and students loans, the icing on the cake, is
one of the last lines of the movie. Wilee is riding and he says "Someday
I'll probably get a suit job but not right now..." I
am game for romanticizing the tough reality of following your dreams
but let's be consistent. With a line like that, the movie is
saying "Hey, we're young and we want to have fun.
Someday we'll grow up.... but not today! Yeah!" If Wilee wants to ride bikes, why not say "Hey, I'm going to ride until the day I die and I'm going to love it"? It's like Koepp decided that you can't realistically be a bicycle courier for the rest of your life so why even suggest it?
Bottom Line: This whole bicycle thing sounded and looked cool but it
turned out to be a really sophomoric movie with questionable values.
1/4
1/4
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