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Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a high risk bike messenger. Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) is a corrupted cop who's desperate for what Wilee is carrying. That's as simple as it gets. There isn't much more substance in the story.

The story is simplistic and reasonable. The involvement of the snakeheads allow a minimal semblance of substance in the writing. Make no mistake, this is about the action. And it's got great exciting NYC street racing action. David Koepp is the writer/director here. He's a prolific Hollywood writer and has directed a couple of good thrillers. In this one, he used all of his action skills.

I'll be honest – when I first saw the trailer for Premium Rush I was a bit skeptical. I scoffed at the idea of a thriller built around the premise of a bike messenger delivering an important envelope on time. But you know what? This is one of those rare late summer releases that comes out of nowhere and entertains you way more than you could have expected.

There's no pretense here. No delusions of grandeur. No misguided Academy aspirations. Premium Rush is a film that recognizes the boundaries of its skin and is completely comfortable in it. It's simply a fun, fast, and intense 90-minute ride that's equal parts tension and comic relief.

Rather than potentially spoil any of the details, I'll let you watch the finer points of the plot unravel on screen. Multiple back-stories are told via time flashbacks, so some of the events might get lost in the translation if you're not paying close attention. What you need to know is that the essence of the film rests in following Joseph Gordon-Levitt's bike journey through the streets of Manhattan as he attempts to deliver his envelope with a scene-stealing Michael Shannon and an I-take-my-job-way-too-seriously bike cop hot on his tail.

You'll recoil and cringe as JGL weaves in and out of traffic, avoiding vehicles and pedestrians alike. You'll laugh as the aforementioned bike cop continually regroups and continues his quest. And you'll love to hate Mr. Shannon as he deftly demonstrates his character's impulse control issues.

I've always heard people say how good of an actor Michael Shannon is, but I've never really seen him in anything. I will definitely seek out more of his work after enjoying his performance in Premium Rush. His hypocritical diatribe on how disgusted he is by the lowering of today's standards had me laughing several minutes after he delivered it. I loved this guy!

I also enjoyed what I am branding the "alternate scenario cam" – whenever JGL finds himself in a tight situation, the camera shows him quickly calculating his possible routes and their potential outcomes, many of which end in hilarity and disaster for either Mr. Gordon-Levitt or an unsuspecting pedestrian.

Premium Rush keeps the pace tight and the audience engaged. The camera work forces us right in the middle of the traffic and the blaring car horns, allowing us to experience the tension both visibly and audibly.

The film's main drawback is its abundance of profanity and crass talk. The worst offenders are one f-bomb and more than 10 uses of G-d**n.

Premium Rush never takes itself too seriously, and neither should you. As long as you check your expectations at the theater door then I'm confident the majority of you will find that this film – much like its bike messenger protagonist- delivers.

I have just watched 'Premium Rush' and I have to say I'm very impressed with it. This isn't your huge blockbuster but it is something different and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I liked the plot and it was very clever how we saw flashbacks of various things, twists and turns, going in back in time and seeing a different perspective. This really linked the film together nicely.

The action is just thrilling and something different. The chases are fast paced and frantic, it is absolute chaos on the roads. There is some great stunts, its far fetched but its crazily fast. Definitely a film for all the adrenaline junkies out there.

One part of the film that I really liked was, when Wilee was in danger of potentially crashing the bicycle, we see how his mind works. We see 3 potential routes he can take to avoid injury so he can decide the best way to go. Some of these parts are cleverly thought out and also quite funny in parts.

The acting was up to scratch, there was a few characters who added something different. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dania Ramirez played a very likable pair.

Overall this is a good action thriller type film, suspense builds and the movie is just fast paced. I really enjoyed it, much better than expected. Would recommend it to anyone and I would certainly watch it again. 85 minutes of carnage.

9/10.

Though rather generic, Premium Rush provides an extraordinarily entertaining ride. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, though not having to much to do other then ride his bicycle still is a truly likable hero and Michael Shannon, who's screen time seems a bit out of proportion to me makes for an entertaining semi-psychopath. All this is skillfully delivered by director David Koepp who apparently knows how to write a screenplay too, finding breakneck pacing for the movie while twisting the plot with some timeshifts really makes the ride premium to some degree. If you are looking for some quality entertainment, look no further.

7/10

Now this is how to make an action flick! A small one, mind you, but it's one of the most fun pictures to come out this summer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a bicycle messenger in Manhattan who lands the unfortunate job of delivering a small slip of paper worth a ton of money. Corrupt cop Michael Shannon, trying to pay off a Chinatown gambling debt, gets wind of the item and attempts to relieve JGL of it. Unfortunately for Shannon, JGL is a pretty darn fast rider and great with stunts, and soon he has the help of his girlfriend (Dania Ramirez), who is also a bicycle messenger. It's just a simple chase movie, but it's perfectly edited and paced, with well-timed jumps back in time to explain the situation. The actors are all fine (I also really liked JGL's professional and romantic rival, Wole Parks), but Shannon really steals the show. This is the perfect place for his style of menace. Well worth your time.