Premium Rush: A Familiar Plot with a Decent Execution

Premium Rush is a movie we've seen dozens of times, but what I liked was the whole biking concept, and, of course, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the star.  While this film doesn't present anything we haven't seen before, it is an enjoyable thriller to waste some time with.

I had a good time with this film.  Michael Shannon as the villain was great; he was funny, creepy, and lovably over-the-top.  JGL was good as Wilee, although it wasn't my favorite character he's played.  I had mixed feelings about the pacing of the film, as it jumps around a lot.  However, if you are looking for a quick thriller that doesn't require a lot of thinking and want to jump straight into the action, this is your type of movie.  Without wasting much time, Premium Rush dives into the meat of the story, making the 91 minute film go by much faster.  I'm a bit of a sucker for thrillers, especially ones that take place over the course of a single day.  This is one of those films, and it was enjoyable.  This film also had a minuscule amount of violence, especially for a thriller, which I was impressed with.


While I respect a film that doesn't waste time, Premium Rush didn't leave a whole lot of room for character development.  This made it difficult to be very immersed in the story.  I also wasn't a fan of the CGI building fly-throughs.  I find that to be kind of a gimmick and a visual sellout, and it seems very cliched in summer films.  One final complaint I have about this film is the overall plot.  I was a bit confused about what was going on, and the fact that this movie didn't follow the traditional chronological order made some of the plot even more difficult to follow.  I'm referencing what was in the envelope that everyone was scurrying after.  There wasn't a whole lot of build up to this, which made this aspect of the film generic and kind of bland.

Premium Rush is a solid movie and highly recommended if you don't have any expectations for it.  Michael Shannon's performance makes this worth watching, and if you want to watch a mostly non-violent thriller, you will probably enjoy this.  Overall, I would say you could wait to rent this at Redbox, because there is no terrible RUSH to come see this film.


MY RATING:

3.5 out of 5

Kevin A. Millward