Premium Rush (2012)

Over 25 years ago, a relatively small budget movie Quicksilver starring Kevin Bacon and Larry Fishburne (yes, before he became friggin' Lawrence) brought the world of bike messengers to popular culture.  So I dug out my VHS copy a few weeks ago as soon as I saw the previews for Premium Rush, which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (above).  The plot for this one was fairly simple, bike messenger carries unknown package to a destination, bad guy attempts to intercept package.  The goal is simple -- get the package to destination  in time.  The cycling sequences were excellent but the overall message that the movie projects about cycling to the subconscious of the general public is unfavorable.  Cyclists break all rules of the road as shown through scene after scene of bike messengers navigating through traffic dealing with taxis, pedestrians and other cyclists.  I struggle with that as I teach my kids that the responsibility of riding a bike and following the rules of the road like cars do.  Kids and I saw the 930am showing today so we didn't have to pay full price for something that definitely belongs in the Netflix or Redbox category.