Premium Rush (2012)

[Frayed Knot]

Even though he has the schooling and brains to have more going on in his life, Joseph Gordon-Levitt* --street name: Wilee-- opts to live the high adrenaline life of a NYC bicycle messenger, racing through the streets of Manhattan on his fixed-gear, no-brakes machine. And, really, would you expect a different backstory on a movie bike messenger?

But when he's assigned to pick up an envelope from a Columbia University student to be delivered as a 'Premium Rush' down in Chinatown, he suddenly attracts the interest of a crooked cop, a bicycle cop, his messenger rival, his sometime girl, plus some Chinese gambling thugs/human smugglers.




* I have trouble remembering the proper order of those names and also where the hyphen belongs

[Ceetar]

been over a year since I saw this, but I did enjoy it. High speed bike chases aren't the usual medium for high speed chases and high speed chases are awesome. there. Just enough hi-jinks to keep me entertained between chases.

[Edgy MD]

The only other bike-messenger-as-protagonist film I know of, 1986's Quicksilver, also featured a hero on fixed-gear bike.

Except that was set in San Francisco, and I feel my back muscles shredding at just the idea of riding around San Fran on a fixed-gear bike.

[Frayed Knot]

"been over a year since I saw this" -- wasn't released until August of '12, so "over a year" is unlikely unless you have some real good connections or are time-traveling.



" High speed bike chases aren't the usual medium for high speed chases and high speed chases are awesome. there. Just enough hi-jinks to keep me entertained between chases." -- Yeah, the movie isn't a lot more than just escapist fun but it succeeds at that at least, helped out in the heft department by Michael Shannon ('Boardwalk Empire', 'Take Shelter') as the crooked and desperate cop/chaser.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Guest

[Ceetar]

I'm on this Nielsen list that occasionally gets me into free screeners (like Django a couple of weeks early) in this case it was _way_ early. just checked my mail, I saw this movie on April 12th, 2011. yikes. I wonder why it took so long to come out. It wasn't completely polished for instance (the cut scenes where he analyzes routes through intersections were very basic) but it looked pretty close.

I definitely need to watch this again, I wonder if I'll remember what's different.

[Vic Sage]

bike movies, eh?
... hmm.

BICYCLE THIEF (IT/1948)
BREAKING AWAY
PREMIUM RUSH
PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
AND SOON THE DARKNESS (UK/1970)
BMX BANDITS (AUS/1983)
AMERICAN FLYERS (1985)
QUICKSILVER (1986)
DREAMRIDER (1993)

a pretty short list.

[Ceetar]

In general I'm a sucker for a film that takes place, and is filmed, in New York.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Vic Sage wrote: bike movies, eh? ... hmm. BICYCLE THIEF (IT/1948) BREAKING AWAY PREMIUM RUSH PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE AND SOON THE DARKNESS (UK/1970) BMX BANDITS (AUS/1983) AMERICAN FLYERS (1985) QUICKSILVER (1986) DREAMRIDER (1993) a pretty short list.

Forgot one...



8-year-old LWFS loved this about 70% as much as I loved the Mets, which is saying something.

[TransMonk]

I dug this one. Not a classic...but good crime/chase fun. I would have watched this movie over and over at age 12.

Fixed gear, steel frame, no brakes...yes, that is fucking crazy.

[Vic Sage]

some others, too...

A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (UK/1949)
Jour de Fete (FR/1949)
KEY EXCHANGE (1985)
2 SECONDS (Fr.CAN/1998)
BEIJING BICYCLE (CHINA/2001)
TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (FR/2003)
FLYING SCOTSMAN (UK/2006)

[Edgy MD]

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
ET, The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Tuff Turf (1985)
Bicycle Dreams (2009)

[Vic Sage]

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985) ET, The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Tuff Turf (1985) Bicycle Dreams (2009)

- PEE WEE: already listed above
- ET: Not a cycling movie per se (not about bikes, or races, or racers), but there are some cycling scenes, and there is the iconic "bike across the moon" shot, so yeah, i guess if you want to push it;
- TUFF TURF: Really? How so? I never saw it, but nothing in the description would lead one to guess cycling is critical to either its plot, imagery or themes;
- BICYCLE DREAMS: I was just looking at features, but if you want to add documentaries, that opens a door to another 5-10 movies, probably, including --

Stars and Watercarriers (1974)
The Impossible Hour (1974)
A Sunday In Hell (1976)
Hell on Wheels (2004)
Overcoming (2005)
Road To Roubaix (2008)
Chasing Legends (2010)
Ride the Divide (2010)

[Edgy MD]

Vic Sage wrote: - TUFF TURF: Really? How so? I never saw it, but nothing in the description would lead one to guess cycling is critical to either its plot, imagery or themes;

I can't imagine what you're waiting for. You could die tomorrow.

[Vic Sage]

if death will prevent me from experiencing TUFF TURF, i await it gladly.

[Edgy MD]

i'm one hour and one second into this reel of shite, and I'd prefer a repeat viewing of Tuff Turf.

[Edgy MD]

This movie is probably on every other night on the All-13-Year-Old Boys Channel.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I bet you'd like it better if you watched it without breaks.

[Edgy MD]

Could they have said that any more?

[Edgy MD]

There's a certain sub-genre of films (and yes, usually aimed at 13-year-olds) about the denizens of a thrill-seeking and adrenaline-rich, but utterly useless hobby suddenly thrown by the contrivances of a benevolent fate into a situation where their allegedly stupid and self-centered and self-destructive past-time is actually revealed to be a great tool for fighting crime! Take that, Mom and Dad and Uncle Pete!

[Elster88]

Who is the cycling expert round here? Do people really ride fixed gear no brake bikes? Does fixed gear mean what it sounds like it means? What is the significance of a steel frame? Why would the main character like all these things? My apologies if I'm asking questions about things that aren't grounded in reality.

[Frayed Knot]

"Do people really ride fixed gear no brake bikes?" -- Apparently city riding hipsters do.


"Does fixed gear mean what it sounds like it means?" -- One gear, no shifters cuz there's nothing to shift. You wanna go faster? ... peddle harder. Not many hills in Manhattan anyway, and besides, needing a low gear for climbing means you're a sissy.


" What is the significance of a steel frame?" -- Heavier but tougher/stronger/more able to take a beating than other choices.


"Why would the main character like all these things?" -- Street cred. And bikes like that would be cheaper, with fewer things to go wrong on them, less likely to be stolen.

[Edgy MD]

I couldn't find a screen shot of James Spader fighting hoods from the saddle of his bicycle in Tuff Turf, but I did find this great shot of him jamming with Jim Carroll and Iron Man.

[Frayed Knot]

Are you sure that's Jim Carroll?
I thought it might be David Bowie ... or Tilda Swinton.

[Guest themetfairy]

I thought it looked like Tilda.