Mega excitement on TV today: forget ‘Fast & Furious’ and race cars, here comes motorcycle action!

If you are in the same mood as the author of these rules, then you will only drive a car when it is absolutely necessary. But instead of cramming yourself into the bus or the metro, you’d rather get on your bike and pedal hard, even in wind and weather. This is apparently also the case with the main character of “Premium Rush,” directed by “Mission: Impossible” screenwriter and “The Secret Window” director David Koepp. The young man loves his bike and rides it much faster in city traffic than the exhaust fumes that surround him everywhere.

The action thriller features some of the most hair-raising and fast-paced movie chases in recent years – just look at the opening scene! And the best or most exciting thing about these moments is that they seem so damn realistic. The over-the-top car stunts from the ‘Fast & Furious’ series, on the other hand, just look ridiculous and fake.

“Premium Rush” will be broadcast today, January 14, 2024 at 10:20 PM on RTL 2. A repeat will occur that same evening at 3:40 am. Alternatively, the FSK 12 title is available as Blu-ray, DVD or paid video on demand:

The hero on two wheels is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who you may know from ‘Inception’, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ or the great ‘(500) Days Of Summer’. Other major roles include Michael Shannon (“Knives Out”), Dania Ramirez from the Netflix series “Sweet Tooth,” Jamie Chung (“Sin City 2”) and Wolé Parks (“Superman & Lois”).

“Premium Rush” on RTL 2: that is the story

Since childhood, Wilee (Gordon-Levitt) has been addicted to adrenaline rushes. That’s why he chose a career that satisfies his addiction almost every minute: he’s a bicycle messenger in New York City. As a result, he is constantly under time pressure and always has one foot in the grave due to the crazy traffic in the streets of the mega metropolis.

One day, he is assigned by his boss Raj (Aasif Mandvi) to pick up an envelope from Columbia University and deliver it to Chinatown on the other side of town within 90 minutes. Although the time frame is actually far too short, Wilee accepts the job; After all, he loves challenges and is not considered the best and fastest in his field for nothing.

The sender is Nima (Chung), the roommate of Wilee’s girlfriend Vanessa (Ramirez). She doesn’t want to tell him what it’s about. Nima simply states that the timely arrival of the shipment is essential. Along the way, Wilee isn’t just fighting the clock. He must also defend himself against local gangsters and a cop (Shannon), driven by mysterious motives, all of whom want to take his cargo. What the hell is he doing driving around?

Realistic action à la William Friedkin

In the conclusion of our FILMSTARTS review, author Andreas Staben describes the film as casual, light entertainment without fluff, frills or pomposity and promises an hour and a half of tension and action with a kick. ‘Premium Rush’ mastermind David Koepp would certainly be happy with this analysis. Even when the film was still in the script stage, the American had in mind action scenes as he knew from the thrillers he loved from master director William Friedkin (“The French Connection”, “Living and Dying in LA”): fast-paced , cool and above all real – not unrealistic things like we constantly see in modern blockbusters.

Lead actor Gordon-Levitt also painfully felt this unconditional desire for realism several times. Apart from the truly life-threatening actions, he sat on the saddle of his unicycle without brakes in almost all scenes of the film. This led to several injuries during filming, some of which occurred in the constant Manhattan traffic. The actor suffered the worst injuries when he crashed into the trunk of a taxi at full speed. The impact sent him flying straight into the rear window of the car, leaving him with a cut on his arm that required 31 stitches. The consequences of the accident can be seen during the closing credits.

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