While the plot is not nearly as deep as the last few Joseph Gordon-Levitt movies (“50/50”), “Premium Rush” gave me exactly what the title promised. Two hours of adrenaline, genuine humor and fun.

The story is simple. Daredevil bike messenger Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is given 90 minutes to deliver a mysterious package while being chased by crooked cops, the NYPD and his fellow bike messengers. The story of the envelope is told through a series of flashbacks revealing more and more about the mysterious package.

The presentation is spectacular. Most of the film is spent tailing Levitt on a high speed ride through New York. Flashbacks are placed perfectly to break up the action. Once the movie begins an action sequence, it doesn’t break until the ride is over.

I was surprised that someone would be able to make an action movie revolving around bikes. I do not believe the premise would work if it was not set in New York City. The bikes moved far faster than the slow traffic of the city, so by comparison it seemed as though the bikes were moving at impossible speeds.

Along with a strong fast paced medium for action, the movie also succeeded in humor. Each joke seemed genuine and better than the last. Whether it was a recurring scene where Levitt would antagonize an NYPD bike cop, or simple shouting through traffic during a lengthy ride in downtown New York, “Premium Rush” was always quick with a joke. When seeing this movie, make sure to listen closely to catch every subtle joke.

Every so often, the film would slow down and Levitt would analyze the possible routes his bike could take. This provided some hilarious scenarios involving Levitt being crushed by cars and trucks. Each scene was more extreme than the last.

With the exception to the slowed scenes above, this movie contained very little CGI. All stunts looked realistic and were performed mostly by Levitt. The actor ended up with about 32 stitches from injuries sustained from the movie.

The movie’s villain, a crooked NYPD cop with temper issues, was played wonderfully by Michael Shannon. The character was so insane, that I couldn’t tell what he would do next. Establishing him as a psychopath from the beginning of the movie, it made it all the more fun to see all the misfortune that befalls him throughout the movie.

Unfortunately, other than Levitt and Shannon, the supporting cast was almost non-existent. Besides Wilee’s ex-girlfriend and biker rival, the movie was devoid of any real characters you could connect to. While Levitt and Shannon were extremely likeable characters, it wasn’t enough to fill two hours.

“Premium Rush” may not be the deep Levitt sequel to “500 Days Of Summer” that I would like to see, but it is a great time and worth seeing as soon as possible.

5/5