"Premium Rush" takes you on a ride

[rating=5]

This movie is not like any other. Plain and simple. There simply no movie I can compare it to. I looked on IMDb.com hoping to find some movie I can say “if you liked this movie, then you’ll probably like Premium Rush,” but the closest thing they could even come to were movies like “Abduction” or “Killer Elite,” which were both good movies, but really can’t compare to “Premium Rush.” It’s apples and oranges with this one. Like I said, “Premium Rush” is not like any other movie you’ll see, and it’s pretty great.

Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Dark Knight Rises) is a bicycle courier in New York with no brakes, literally. From the time he gets his package to the time he delivers it, he doesn’t stop. After he recieves a letter ordered for premium rush, he is approached and later pursued by a man desperate to retrieve the letter. He goes to the police department to report the man only to discover that his pursuer is a crooked cop, so reporting him would do no good, particularly because bicycle courier and policemen don’t get along. The only way to keep the letter safe it to deliver it to the owner, as long as he can stay alive and out of handcuffs long enough to do so.

The plot is very simple, but the acting is great. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has really come out of the woodwork over the past few years and this is his first movie where he’s really the only big name, and he did not disappoint. His character is likeable from the beginning, just as most of his characters are, and he played Wilee perfectly.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that this movie was so different. I have never seen a film about bike couriers and probably won’t seen one again for awhile. As long as you don’t go in expecting to see explosions, shootouts, and fast cars, you will most likely enjoy this film. It’s got the whole package: action, comedy, and a little bit of romance for good measure. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, I sure wasn’t.

“Premium Rush” is rated PG-13 for violence (fist fights, bikers getting hit by cars, a man is shot in the back of the head, etc.) intense action sequences (bike chases, mild gunplay) and language (one use of the “F-word” and scattered profanity throughout).

Ben Asper