What do you get when you mix bicycle couriers in New York City with corrupt cops, the Chinese Mafia and an envelope that everyone wants? You get shenanigans a-plenty! Starring one-time Third Rock from the Sun alien visitor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Premium Rush is a fun bike ride through New York City traffic where every scene is a race with time. Ye-Haw! Wilee (Gordon-Levitt) is the super-bike-courier, existing on the fringe even though he’s really a law-school graduate and probably a genius, who discovers the hard way that he has a cash marker that everyone wants. The corrupt, short-fused detective (Michael Shannon, General Zod in the upcoming Man of Steel) has gambling problems and owes a lot of money so decides to steal it from Nima (Jamie Chung) who has paid gangsters to smuggle her son from China, the receipt is a small piece of paper with a happy face on it…Zip here, zip there, blah, blah, blah. I think you get the drift.
Story: +2 because while there were no twists or turns except actually and not figuratively. Having said that, it was still fun to watch. The Look gets a +2 as well because it was well shot but the CGI looked fake. Overall Casting was good and gets a fair +2 although there are no extra points to come. Commitment to Genre totally gets a +2. As far a hijinks on-the-run films go it was no Blues Brothers but it was still fun and never really gets that stupid.
Subtotal: +8
I’m going to deduct -1 for Wolé Parks who was really irritating for the most part. I hate when people don’t listen and that’s the only reason the story carries forth.
That’s it: +7.
