#140RVW
Another one of those movies that looks like a really stupid concept but makes for a fantastic film because of brilliant execution. #NoBrakes
What’s more:
I’m always amazed how certain “high concept” movies get made; movies that rely on a central premise that seems limiting. The Fast & Furious movies, for example; they are all about cars and crime, but there’s a limit to how much crime you can undertake while driving – sooner or later you need to get out of the car. Reminds me of the tv show spoof on the Simpsons years ago about a crime-fighting boat.
So I felt reasonably justified in dismissing Premium Rush outright; a chase movie on bicycles. Sounds ridiculous.
Fortunately, the presence of Joseph Gordon-Levitt convinced me to give it a try. JGL is money, plain and simple, and usually worth sticking around even if the project seems weak.
Glad I made the time; the loss would have been entirely mine, otherwise, because Premium Rush is a tight little action picture. A thriller, yes, but really mostly a chase movie. There’s little to no mystery involved, and the outcome is never really in doubt.
David Koepp has written or co-written some of the biggest movies of the last 25 years, but this is only his fifth directing gig. He keeps the action really tight and engaging. He uses visual tricks like map overlays and a neat effect where the courier visualizes potential outcomes of his route choices; these work well.
He also screws with the timeline, speeding up the story, then darting back to fill in blanks, all while a clock zooms to track what time it is; this works less well. The whole flashback/forward thing is best used sparingly and in movies with more mystery to them.
Also, when the clock first appeared on screen I thought that the courier’s delivery was going to unfold in real time and was excited by this great storytelling device. So I was even more let down when it didn’t happen. Run with that idea, screenwriters…
This is a minor quibble; I wouldn’t have even mentioned it except that speed and the lifestyle of these bike couriers is so integral to the feel of the story. And that tone makes for a very good film. It helps that it wisely doesn’t pad the runtime; it’s a quick 90-minutes of constant movement. Great stuff.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
The Representation Test Score: B (7 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Joseph Gordon-Levitt Wilee, Michael Shannon Bobby Monday, Dania Ramirez Vanessa, Sean Kennedy Marco |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Release Date | Fri 24 Aug 2012 UTC |
| Director | David Koepp |
| Genres | Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Plot | In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 91 |
| Tagline | Ride Like Hell |
| Writers | David Koepp (written by) &, John Kamps (written by) |
| Year | 2012 |