There’s a breed of death-dodging cyclists who get a kick out of near-misses. That applies to Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a fixie-riding bike courier, Wilee, in this wildly fun New York chase movie: amber-gambling doesn’t begin to describe his riding style. The idea behind the film is genius. Who watches a city car chase in a movie and buys it? (The average traffic speed in central London is 10mph). But on a bike: now you’re talking.
‘Premium Rush’ runs on adrenaline rather than plot. Wilee has an envelope to deliver and a bad guy (Michael Shannon, channelling Harvey Keitel) wants to stop him. It’s fast and furious. Cyclists, you’ll be watching with your hands over your face as Wilee bounces off opening taxi doors. Gordon-Levitt is terrific, two parts charm to one part cocky king of the road. And the action scenes hum, because they look real, performed by stuntmen riding real bikes on real streets – including a knockout turn by Scottish cyclist Danny MacAskill (look him up immediately on YouTube if you’ve never seen him in action). A blast.