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Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, Jamie Chung, Lauren Ashley Carter ... see more see more... , Sean Kennedy , Kimberley Perfetto , Anthony Chisholm , Ashley Austin Morris , Wole Parks , Kevin Bolger , Aasif Mandvi , Charles Borland , Aaron Tveit , Christopher Place , Amy Hohn , Doug Williams , Sebastian Lacause , Nick Damici , Kelvin Whui , Henry Kwan , Keenan Leung , Wally Ng , Nancy Eng , Zhao Mao Chen , Brian Koppelman , Lee Hoon , Boyce Wong , Jimmy P. Wong , Kenny Wong , Jade Wu , Lyman Chen , Huang Gian Jin , Tony Cheng , Li Jing Xian , Lam Yung Ting , Hui Yuk Lung , Darlene Violette , Henry O , Kin Shing Wong , Jason A. Iannacone , Ted Sod , Alexis Krauss , Derek Miller , Carsey Walker, Jr. , Matthew Rauch , Michael-Leon Wooley , Victor Chan , PJ Sosko , Jerry Walsh , Ruth Zhang , Bojun Wang , Richard Hsu , Mario D'Leon , Kate Manning , Fernando Rivera , Djani Johnson , Wai Ching Ho , Henry O.

Dodging speeding cars, crazed cabbies, open doors, and eight million cranky pedestrians is all in a day's work for Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the best of New York's agile and aggressive bicycle mes... read more read more...sengers. It takes a special breed to ride the fixie - super lightweight, single-gear bikes with no brakes and riders who are equal part skilled cyclists and suicidal nutcases who risk becoming a smear on the pavement every time they head into traffic. But a guy who's used to putting his life on the line is about to get more than even he is used to when a routine delivery turns into a life or death chase through the streets of Manhattan. When Wilee picks up his last envelope of the day on a premium rush run, he discovers this package is different. This time, someone is actually trying to kill him. -- (C) Sony

Flixster Users

61% liked it

125,197 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

151 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: David Koepp

Release Date: August 24, 2012

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DVD Release Date: December 21, 2012

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Stats: 3,455 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,455)

  • SirPant
    April 19, 2013
    SirPant
    A bunch of annoying cyclists battle bent police in order to help smuggle in illegal immigrants with help from Chinese gangsters. A likable film though surprisingly considering the unpopularity of each of the four groups. Good casting helps and it never goes too over the top eithe... read morer which probably would have damaged the simplicity of the idea. The idea is sound too for the best part, maybe a little contrived towards the end but not to be taken too seriously. I guess it helps if you are interested in bicycles too.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    February 26, 2013
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Premium Rush is David Koepp's action thriller about a cyclist being pursued through New York City by a crooked cop. This film had the potential of being a great picture that should have thrilled you from start to finish. I thought the cycling scenes were entertaining for what the... read morey were, but the plot lacked and should have been thought out more. The film had the potential of being much better, and it falls short of being a very good movie and ends up being just a decent one at best. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does what he can with the material and does make this a watchable film. However the film could have been much better and it's a shame because the idea was good, but in the end it just ends up being one of Levitt's most forgettable films. Premium Rush was decent and entertaining, but there were parts where it was a bit too silly for my liking and it's what ruined the film for me. The film tried to have a bit too much humor with its plot, and it just didn't end up being interesting. The promise of what could have been a great film falters with an underdeveloped script that you can simply tell that there was wasted potential and Premium Rush goes from decent to slightly mediocre to decent. I thought it was an amusing watch, but in the long run is pretty forgettable, and it is kind of disappointing to see a great idea fall short most of the time. Luckily the cast is what saves this one from being a total dud. Premium Rush hits and misses, but the cycling scenes are fun and entertaining and more than make up for the paper thin plot.
  • jarobb3
    February 11, 2013
    jarobb3
    Dumb, but kinda fun. Awesome performance by the bad guy. Glad it wasn't any longer than it was.
  • cosmo313
    February 4, 2013
    cosmo313
    Set in the adrenaline soaked, high energy world of bike messengers, this is David Koepp's breezy, wild, and fun take on the chase film.

    A straight-up B-movie in the classic sense, this is the story of Wilee- a tough college burn-out who quenches his love of thrills by working as... read more a bike messenger, but not just any bike messenger, oh no. He's the kind who prefers to ride a fixie- an ultra lightweight single gear bike with no brakes. It's the end of the day, and, what should be a routine delivery of a high priority, or premium rush, package turns into a full throttle high tension thrill-ride chase between him, a shady cop, and a host of others wanting the goods he's supposed to deliver.

    Set over the course of a few hours on a single day, and presented as a series of flashbacks and flashforwards, this is a stylish breakneck thriller. There's some twists and turns, but not a whole lot of surprises. That's okay though, because we get two solid lead performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in one of several films from 2012) as Wilee and the always strong Michael Shannon as the determined cop hot on his trail. They're not the only thing the film has going for it either. There's tons of thrills, spills, and some great stunt work and setpieces, with a few moments of legitimate tension and suspense.

    There's not a lot of depth, but ya know, sometimes that's okay when the other elements of the film, as they are here, and done solidly and with flair. I loved how they use GPS style imagery to depict Wilee's journey and his split-second decision making process when weaving in and out of traffic. That was pretty cool.

    All in all, this is pretty lite fare, but as a thriller, it's done competently, and doesn't overstay its welcome. Give it a watch.
  • fb619846742
    January 23, 2013
    fb619846742
    A fun, if forgettable, ride concerning a bike messenger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and one of his pickups that gets him tangled up with a corrupt, crazed NYPD officer (Michael Shannon). As said, it is fun, especially the ridiculously clever bike chase scenes through the city. However... read more, it does have a few drawbacks, such as the way it is stitched together with a series of fast-forwards and flash-backs that aren't really that necessary for a nice little story like this, and this ultimately makes the movie feel slightly off-balanced. Gordon-Levitt, as always, brings his A-game, and it is great fun to see Shannon playing such a ridiculous villain that likes to talk like a noir detective. Not a movie you have to see, but definitely a good time-killer if there's nothing else on.
  • LWOODS04
    January 7, 2013
    LWOODS04
    "I really had fun watching this. Loved Michael Shannon in this. He's such an odd man. I love him in movies. He brings a bit of quirkiness to every movie he touches. JGL is one my faves so of course I have nothing bad to say about him.
    The movie was fast paced and had a lot of a... read morection with tons of chasing and plenty of thrills. I enjoyed it a lot. The story didn't suck either. Nima has a very important package she needs to be delievered, but things get out of control when a dirty cop with a bad gambling problem has other intentions for her package. The movie takes off right when it starts and only stops with the ending credits.
    Lot of fun. Great action. I even enjoyed the directing. I would definitely see this again."
  • fb791220692
    December 30, 2012
    fb791220692
    "Brakes are death," proclaims protagonist Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 500 Days of Summer) in a flashback sequence towards the end of "Premium Rush". David Koepp ("Ghost Town"), who both directed and wrote the movie, would have been wise to take this advice. For a film that promi... read moreses a nonstop adrenaline-filled thrill ride, "Rush" inexplicably hits the brakes at all the wrong times. And while the result fortunately isn't death as Wilee says, what we are left with is a confused, stilted missed opportunity of a film.

    At its core, Rush is a standard chase movie, with its one big twist being the focus on bikes instead of cars. The basic premise is as simple as can be: New York City bike messenger Wilee is given a job to deliver a package, but corrupt cop Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter") wants to get his hands on it as well. What the package is or why Monday wants it is unimportant (seriously, even the film can't come up with interesting explanations), but what is important is that this set-up allows for a brisk pursuit through The Big Apple, where Gordon-Levitt's character must outsmart and out-pedal his adversary.

    This concept wouldn't be much of a problem if the film owned up to its own simplicity. Several straightforward genre entries have embraced its adherence to convention, such as the recent "The Expendables", which was fine with being a body count simulator and nothing more. The trouble with "Rush" is that it tries to mask its basic nature by adding excess exposition and a dreaded one-two-punch of a tacked-on love interest (Dania Ramirez) and a tacked on rival (Wole Parks), with neither adding anything to the plot. More troubling, and what ultimately trips the film up, is the way in that it constantly slows way down for lengthy, unnecessary flashbacks and cutaways.

    In the most glaring of these extraneous scenes, just as the pursuit seems to be picking up steam with Monday hot on Wilee's tale, the film flashes back to show why Monday is after the package in the first place. It isn't a bad scene per se, as it gives the spotlight to the talented actor, whose creepy nervous laughter and nervous ticks remind us just how good he is at playing crazy. However, the result of such a random cutaway (and one that doesn't really reveal anything important or interesting) is that all of the momentum is destroyed. This happens several times through the film, usually whenever the present conflict starts to pick up speed.

    The result of Koepp's gratuitous over-complication of a simple idea is more than a little jarring. Even in the final act, the film fails to build up the climactic race against the clock it so badly wants. Which isn't to say "Rush" doesn't have plenty going for it; Gordon-Levitt and especially Michael Shannon seem to be on a completely different plane of acting than the cringe-worthy supporting cast. The film is also damn sleek, with its swooping satellite effects and GPS-imitating transitions. Finally, the whole picture is shot with a breezy confidence that's a joy to just take in. These bells and whistles are enough to demonstrate how much fun this movie could have been. Unfortunately, the incoherent script assures that the film is never becomes to adrenaline rush it promises. Put a different way, "Premium Rush" technically delivers the package to its destination, but only after taking one too many detours and dropping it on the ground a few times.
  • Tomassgringo
    December 26, 2012
    Tomassgringo
    I got pulled in once it got moving! The only thing I disliked was Michael Shannon as the corrupt NYC cop!
  • jlewis07
    December 26, 2012
    jlewis07
    Premium Rush is a solid chase film with plenty of enjoyable performances (especially Michael Shannon as the sleazy bad guy), good action sequences, and a breakneck pace that almost never lets up. The story isn't really anything to write home about, but some funny moments and uni... read moreque ideas make it worth while. The characters are likable without a whole lot of exposition and very little introduction, which is because the performances are so good. There's some inventive direction from David Koepp as well, including parts where the film shows you how things would play out if the main character takes a certain route over another. It's a short and sweet little action thriller.
  • fb100002384654145
    December 24, 2012
    fb100002384654145
    Not a great film, but highly entertaining nonetheless. The cast is very solid and Michael Shannon does a surprisingly phenomenal job as the pathetically corrupt but slightly comedic cop Bobby Monday. Creative cinematography and thrillingly unique non-stop action involving bikes e... read morelevate this film above its formulaic plot.

View All Premium Rush Reviews

Critic Reviews

Keith Uhlich
January 8, 2013
Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

Just a few spokes short of a wheel, guys. Full Review

Tom Charity
January 8, 2013
Tom Charity, CNN.com

An unpretentious throwback to the kind of action movie that had no need of superheroes, Premium Rush is hardly a classic but fun up to a point. Full Review

David Edelstein
January 8, 2013
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Premium Rush is that rare bird: a chase picture that's just a chase picture - and a dandy one. Full Review

Cath Clarke
September 11, 2012
Cath Clarke, Time Out

A blast. Full Review

Bruce Diones
September 3, 2012
Bruce Diones, New Yorker

The whole film sizzles with urban aggression. Full Review

Kathleen Murphy
August 27, 2012
Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies

Premium Rush isn't mindless mayhem, a thriller for teenage boys bursting with hormonal bloodlust. Koepp's film has a brain... Full Review

James Berardinelli
August 26, 2012
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The movie speeds along crisply, providing just enough exposition to lend a few pounds of emotional weight without bogging down the breakneck pace. Full Review

Nick Pinkerton
August 26, 2012
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice

I do have an abiding fondness for compact and coherent action movies, and this is surely one. Full Review

Christopher Orr
August 24, 2012
Christopher Orr, The Atlantic

Throwing "premium" into the title may be overselling such a trifling entertainment. But for the cinematically discounted days of late summer, it's a perfectly diverting little ride. Full Review

Alonso Duralde
August 24, 2012
Alonso Duralde, The Wrap

It's a good thing that adrenaline tends to short-circuit logical thinking; the plot is mostly nonsensical, but you'll be too thrilled by the literal twists and turns to care much. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Bobby Monday: I'm chasing a bicycle ha he!
    • Wilee: Hold my log. [takes off on his bike]
    • Wilee: Who the hell are you?
    • Bobby Monday: Somebody you don't want to f*** with.
    • Wilee: I almost got killed three times in the last ten minutes!
    • Wilee: Suck it, douchebag.
    • Raj: Man that thing is like cigarettes and democrats: everyone wants 'em and everyone wants to get rid of 'em!
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