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With: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, Sean Kennedy, Kymberly Perfetto, Anthony Chisholm, Ashley Austin Morris, Wolé Parks, Kevin Bolger, Aasif Mandvi, Lauren Ashley Carter, Jamie Chung, Christopher Place, Charles Borland
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Written by: David Koepp, John Kamps
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Directed by: David Koepp
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence, intense action sequences and language
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Running Time: 91
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Date: 08/24/2012
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No Brakes
By Jeffrey M. Anderson David Koepp's Premium Rush is one of those compact little action movies, like a junior version of Die Hard or Speed, one that might once have looked like Assault on Precinct 13 or The Warriors. It certainly tries for a "B" movie spirit, proudly eschewing too many digital effects (excepting some for trick shots). It doesn't entirely get there. Its New York City feels more like a tourist's vision, like a Sixth Borough called Hollywood. And, as a screenwriter, Koepp has stayed in business for so long (Jurassic Park, Snake Eyes, Panic Room, Spider-Man, etc.) thanks to his knack for high voltage storytelling. The dialogue sounds all too written, but if spoken forcefully and with attitude, it works. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Wilee (Get it? Like Wile E. Coyote?), a bike messenger who prefers his steel machine to be without gears or breaks. Wilee's day gets worse when he picks up the wrong package at the wrong time and stirs up trouble with an errant police detective, Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon). Gordon-Levitt is an asset to the movie, bringing something wiry and piston-like to his role. It feels as if he's really been at it awhile, rather than having simply spent a few weeks with a trainer. Koepp the director considers speed and economy, taking the shortest and cleverest routes to take his story to the finish line, especially when he takes his bikes into places that cars could never go. He pays ultimate tribute to "B" movies when Detective Monday is required to give a phony name: "Forrest J. Ackerman."
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