Premium Rush

Premium Rush (2012)
Directed by David Koepp

I would like to start by saying how disappointed I am with how poorly Premium Rush has been performing at the box office. As of 9/3, Rush has only grossed about $13.5 million.

Though I really enjoyed Rush and I would see almost any movie with JGL in it, I will admit that it isn't perfect. I had a little trouble following the chronology after the first jump in time. When the first slate popped up showing the time, it made me think that the story was going to play out in real time. So that first jump was unexpected and felt out of place. It didn't take me long to figure out what was happening (since I'm such a genius) but it did take me out of the story for a few minutes. However, I did like how the time jumps later in the film gave us insights and different viewpoints (figuratively and literally) of events that happened earlier in the film.

My biggest complaint about the film would have to be the villain: Michael Shannon's Detective Monday. The telling of his backstory felt way too rushed and unrelatable for him to be a good villain. I didn't really care that he was a dirty cop with a gambling problem, and I never felt any sympathy towards him. This is an action thriller. I should be afraid of what the bad guy is capable of doing to the protagonist, yet I should feel at least a little sympathy towards him. I felt neither of those things. In fact, the only thing I felt toward him was annoyance.

What I like most about Rush, other than getting to watch JGL be awesome on a bike for ninety minutes, is that it promised an hour and a half of fast-paced and death defying bike riding through the streets of New York City, and that's exactly what it delivered. You have to give the marketing team points for honesty, even if they didn't do so great with volume or title recognition.

4 out of 5 stars
Viewed August 25, 2012 at Cinemark 14 in Denton, TX