PREMIUM RUSH
US, 2012, 90 minutes, Colour
Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Michael Shannon.
Directed by David Koepp.
Premium Rush is an action movie for adrenalin junkies. It takes place over an afternoon in New York City, the audience seeing the initial action, going back in time and moving forward for the explanation.
Joseph Gordon- Levitt appears as a courier, a young man who enjoys the exhilaration of riding his bike through the crowded city streets, through the traffic, delivering messages which are ‘premium rush’. He gets a high as he rides. And he is very competitive with other couriers. He also has relationship with one of the female couriers.
The film uses an interesting cinematic device to illustrate his choices for avoiding traffic, by visualising the possibilities he could take and indicating, by animation, the potential dangers and disasters for him. The film also uses the map of the city lighting it up to indicate places and the time needed to arrive.
He has to deliver a package given to him by the roommate of his girlfriend. However, he is challenged by an alleged security guard to hand over the package. He refuses and a chase and pursuit ensue.
The security guard is in fact a police officer. He is played with his customary frighteningly intense manner by Michael Shannon. In soon emerges that there are far more complications, the policeman and his work, his being indebted to Chinese gamblers. If he can get the package, it will be possible to pay off his debts.
However, he underestimates the skills of the courier. When his girlfriend becomes involved and other courier rivals, there are dangerous races through the city. There is also an underlying theme of migrants, paying for a child to come into the United States.
The film was written and directed by David Koepp, (Secret Window, Stir of Echoes). It is principally for action fans, bike riders, but other audiences might give it a miss.
1. The details of bikes, gears and breaks, riding, daredevil riding, crashes, avoiding crashers? An adrenaline film?
2. The name of the central character: Wilee? The reference to Wiley Coyote and cartoons? The cartoonish action?
3. New York City, the use of the maps, highlighting locations, highlighting routes? The streets, the traffic? The agency, apartment blocks, Chinatown? The musical score?
4. Action sequences, special effects? The scenes with hypotheses for various routes through the traffic, the possibility of accidents, crashes, the way through?
5. The time sequences, the present, the flashbacks, the buildup to the present again?
6. The riders, their skills, adrenalin, ambitions, rivalry? Their physical ability?
7. The nature of premium rush? Packages, delivery?
8. Wilee, his character, personality, his skills? The orders, the deliveries, his imagining the different possibilities? The clashes with Marco, Manny? His relationship with Vanessa, her studies, her impatience with Wilee? His missing the graduation?
9. Vanessa, a character, relationship with Wilee, with the other riders? Nina as her roommate?
10. Raj, the company, orders, bookings, nonchalant attitude?
11. The special delivery, the secrecy?
12. Wilee going to the campus? Bobby Monday and his surveillance, accosting Wilee? His claims? Wilee not believing him, leaving? His subsequent adventures with the package?
13. The background to Monday’s attitude, Chinatown, his debts, the amounts, deadlines? His role in the police, going to the station?
14. Wilee going to the police, his injuries, wanting to make charges, discovering Monday was the police? Getting away?
15. The complications of the delivery, Raj and his control? The pursuit by Monday, his continual frustration, Wilee escaping, persuading his rivals to work with him? Vanessa’s role?
16. Nina’s secret, the contact, about her son, the money for the woman, smuggling the child from the ship, her being reunited with her child?
17. How interesting the characters, the plot complications, the messengers and their work, skills, the role of the police, the Chinese and the world of gambling and debts?
