Cast: A lot of "hey, it's that guy from that thing" going on in this one. Joesph Gordon-Levitt is the only big name attached to this as well as the only reason I saw it in the first place. Dania Ramirez and Jamie Chung are good eye candy, but not used for that purpose. I'd like to see either of them in a good TV show. That's a good place for them, I think. I couldn't even tell you the name of the rest of the cast. Nothing against them, but this movie has straight-to-DVD written all over it. JGL is the main reason this even got a burn-off release.
Plot: This is a very multi-toned movie in a bad way. One minute it's light-hearted bike riding, then it's Chinese mafia, then an "I'm getting too old for this shit" moment, followed by a beat down. It felt a lot longer than it was. Overall, I'm not sure what the aim was here. I assume the writer/director used to be a bike messenger or something and wanted to make a movie with a lot of cool bike riding scenes but that pesky need for a plot got in the way. They also play with the time a lot, although the editing of it isn't all that great.
The Big City: New York is one of the biggest cities in the world and this movie made it seem like Topeka. JGL runs into the same bike cop a handful of times is vastly different locations. I supposed NYC only has one police station too because everyone happens to be at the same one. The girl who gives him the letter to deliver ends up getting to the delivery spot at nearly the same time as JGL. I get that they need to tell a story, but it's all a little too convenient.
Elephant in the Room: Bike Messengers are dicks. A minute in, I pretty much hated all the main characters. I guess it's accurate that they kind of get in the way in NYC, but the number of wrecks JGL nearly causes just to not inconvenience himself is kind of obnoxious and the bike rider community and the "no breaks, no gears" stuff is really hokey. I kind of wouldn't mind if a taxi picked off a couple of them.
To Sum Things Up:
I gave it a shot, but this is the least satisfying movie I've seen in a while, theater or otherwise. It's not my kind of movie, and judging by Friday grosses, I'm not alone. I was hoping for a hidden gem and didn't get it. Here's to waiting for Looper.
Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend
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