If you’re looking for a thrilling ride, try “Premium Rush”, a crackling blend of suspense and fun that delivers exactly what you would expect from it, nothing more, nothing less. Joseph Gordon Levitt is perfectly cast as a daredevil bike messenger. His latest job? Make a run from uptown to Chinatown to deliver a very important ticket. Sounds easy. Then Michael Shannon shows up, as a crooked cop who’s determined to catch the messenger and retrieve the envelope he’s carrying. Why? Don’t ask. “Premium Rush” is an entertaining movie, as long as you ignore the plot, or logic for that matter. Director David Koepp mounts his camera in the back of Gordon-Levitt’s bike, so we vicariously experience what it’s like for him to spend all day, cruising around the Big Apple. And though the film lacks in terms of plot, Koepp keeps the action circulating in high style. But perhaps best of all are the chase scenes involving Levitt and Shannon (the director confirms that all the stunts were performed on camera and not via CGI, which is why they look so damn real). Yet however impressively made, “Premium Rush” begins to wear thin after the hour mark. I don’t blame the director to be honest, as  the film’s sole idea was explored to its fullest in the first half. The rest of the movie becomes repetitive and quite predictable actually. You can see the finale coming from a mile away, but the getting there is what makes the movie worth watching. Flying high on adrenaline and sly wit, “Premium Rush” gets the job done. Just pass the popcorn.

Rating: 2.5/4