Film Review: Premium Rush (2012)

My rating: ★★★★

RIDE LIKE HELL.

Seems like majority of people didn’t like this movie that much. Written and directed by David Koepp, Premium Rush is a fast-paced and a thrilling movie which incorporates the busy streets of New York City as the bicycle messengers ride around all day to make the deliveries on time. What’s good about this movie is that it is made out of a simple concept and a typical storyline but it still feels so different and a bit fresh. I don’t remember watching a bicycle movie and liking it as much as I like Premium Rush. Maybe because the techniques employed in this movie are way better and they work the exactly way they should be working.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Wilee, a bicycle messenger) seems to shine in his role and is supported by other cast members such as Michael Shannon (Bobby Monday, a corrupt cop), Dania Ramirez (Vanessa, Wilee’s ex-girlfriend), Wolé Parks (Manny, Wilee’s rival). Michael Shannon’s character, Bobby Monday is a corrupt and a negative person but his performance is funny, keeps making you laugh because he keeps getting pissed at everything around him and he acts hilariously. This film may not offer much depth into the characterization but you got to look even deeper to get to the bottom like Wilee doesn’t want to do the office jobs wearing suits and sitting in one place but instead he rides around all day and feel free and independent.

Crazy cinematography, more than a dozen stuntmen, efficient CGIs and the slight humor make a huge contribution towards this film. I must say that Koepp is a intelligent guy, he knows how to make a good movie out of a typical plot and a simple concept that revolves around the movie just like the movie begins with an accident and the narration explains everything gradually and it becomes clear that the main plot is more like a mission to make things happen. The execution and direction are superb, which can be justified by the fact that I didn’t get bored, not even for a bit, mainly because of the fast pace and the thrilling bicycle action whcih works perfectly with much imagination, complications and energy. This movie totally worked for me just like I was hoping for.

Film Review: Looper (2012)

My rating: ★★★★½

First of all, let me take a moment to praise outstanding work done by the director and writer of this movie, Rian Johnson. I have watched a lot of science-fiction films that incorporate the elements of time travel and in the beginning, this movie seems like any other typical science-fiction film but it has a lot of surprises and the amount of creativity and genuinity that has been put in the making of this film is excellent.

Looper is a remarkable and beautiful film, with astounding performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Young Joe Simmons), Bruce Willis (Old Joe Simmons), Emily Blunt (Sara Rollins) and Pierce Gagnon (Sara’s kid, Cid).

 

A lot of science-fiction films get confused as reaching the conclusion and they lose all the charm they had in the beginning. This isn’t the case here. The screenplay is well-crafted and carried out properly that it doesn’t get boring or predictable. The cinematography is good, the production design is compelling and moreover, you can notice a lot of resemblance in between Gordon-Levitt and Willis.

Looper reminds me of two great films; Inception (2010) and 12 Monkeys (1995) mainly because of its mind-twisting and time travel elements. It doesn’t resemble any of the mentioned films in anyway, you can notice a little bit of similarity in between 12 Monkeys and Looper but that’s just in the beginning of the film. These are two different films dealing with different plots and different stories, the only thing in common is time travel.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s role in this film kind of reminds me of Christian Bale, I don’t know how but it does. His face and the way he speaks in the entire film, maybe. I must say he did a very good job by putting so much effort in this role and carrying it out amazingly. I hope to see more of him in the upcoming Hollywood generation. He has a lot of potential and he can do a lot better than he is doing today and maybe that will also win him an Academy Award. Anyway, sticking to this film, Looper maybe an opening door of opportunities for this man.

In short, Looper is one of the great films of 2012. It is creative, it has mystery, it has a great cast that do a superb job, it has outstanding direction, it has a well-written screenplay, it has a convincing plot and a clever conclusion. A must watch!