Review of Premium Rush (2012) by Quincytheodore — 05 Oct 2012

Exhilaratingly fast and incredibly well paced, Premium Rush gives adrenaline rush at the same dose of blissful flesh-to-steel wreckage. There's just something viscerally appealing about the way human body reacts on impact that can't be duplicate with any pile of vehicular mayhem. The movie captures its speed fantastically, swirling between pedestrians and traffic just enough to create a sense of familiarity compared to the unreal car chases. Plot is actually thick enough to justify the possibility of these riders turning into smudges on a slab of concrete, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Shannon make up for intriguing homicidal cat and mouse chase.

The plot uses multi-perspective view from the characters as it moves back and forth to introduce them in their own entwined timelines, it creates a singular event but viewed from different perspectives. Action and narrative go along smoothly this way, as even if the movie doesn't showcase any chase scene, it's still thrilling due to the acting. Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plays a man rebelling against the social norm, preferring constant flirt with bumpers rather than sitting behind a desk. It's an effective way of luring the younglings because he personifies the freedom one might fantasies at some point.

Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) is very genuine in his disturbed look, he's creepy in a photogenic way. I've not seen many throw adult tantrum like him in a while. Vanessa (Dania Ramirez), Wilee's girlfriend, and Manny (Wolé Parks), his rival, make a tidbit about triangle love that goes along the way with juvenile rivalry to impress the girl. It's quite distracting and only displays trivial bravado to buff the movie. Manny is a very irritating character, which ironically meant to be, as he hounds Vanessa, who has a sort of rough allure. There's also hint human trafficking that only touch briefly as motivation, but it's too superficial to be thoughtful.

The movie is graphically pleasant, very sharp and colorful. The action moves in an organic urban spectacle and slightly exaggerated speed captured from crisp close angles. Bits of HUD or slow motion are nice touches too. However the script sometimes overreaches to the border of some remarks a fifth grader or internet troll might say. It has some padding as well, especially at the end, which rather disrupts the original pace a little. If offers artificial road rage, fast pace and stunts that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Allow yourself to enjoy the ride and sooth the primal need of seeing someone crashes, badly.