First Look: Premium Rush

By DOUGLAS TSENG

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dania Ramirez, Michael Shannon

Directed by: David Koepp

Why watch: A dirty New York cop (Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Shannon) tries to intercept a bike courier (JGL) from delivering a package.

The low-down: Two aspiring singers — a busboy (90210’s Diego Boneta) and a small-town gal (Footloose’s Julianne Hough) — find love and work at a LA rock club circa 1987… back when hair-metal ruled the day.

The buzz: This is a rarity: an action flick involving bicycles. Doesn’t sound exciting? You’ll change your mind after Premium Rush, assures writer/director David Koepp. “We would drive around making lists of things that could be obstacles,” quips Koepp. “Getting that feeling of speed moving through traffic was the whole challenge of the movie.” Naturally, bearing the brunt of the stunts is his leading man, Gordon-Levitt, who’s having one helluva year as an action hero (he’s also in The Dark Knight Rises and head-scratching sci-fier Looper). “[But] he’s a tough guy,” enthuses Koepp. And JGL has the scars to prove it: he required 31 stitches in his right hand after his bike smashed into the rear windshield of a cab. Ouch!

Opens: Sept 27