Premium Rush

    A thin plot propels you through the streets of Manhattan as seen through the eyes of bike messengers.

 Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Wilee, the daredevil messenger known for his speed and lack of fear as he races from pick up to drop off. The story centers on a dirty cop played by Michael Shannon who needs to intercept an envelope Wilee is trying to deliver. That pretty much sums it up so director David Koepp ramps things up by moving the story around through flashbacks and a digital clock reminding us of the time Wilee has to deliver his package. He also constantly shows us Wilee's path through the city using a big map  with a thick yellow line moving through it. The map gets very annoying after a while. We get it Mr. Koepp, Manhattan is a big city.

    The appeal here, besides the always reliable Mr. Gordon-Levitt is the great street photography and use of real riders doing real stunts without the addition of CGI. Some of the camera work is nothing short of amazing with thrilling "point of view" angles. All the racing begins to get repetitive  but cutting back to Mr. Shannon's manic cop and the hapless police cyclist both trying to catch Wilee break things up and keep the story moving. 

    Dania Ramierez plays Vanessa, another messenger and Wilee's love interest. She and Mr. Gordon-Levitt do much of their own riding and it's very impressive. Stay through the credits and you will see the result of a stunt Mr. Gordon-Levitt did himself. If you are looking for something light and mildly exciting, rush to this one otherwise you can wait for the DVD or better yet, go for a bike ride.