Joseph Gordon-Levitt lacks leading-man potential in Premium Rush. It’s fair to say I was expecting a lot from him and the film. Unfortunately, neither delivers the spine-tingling “rush” the title suggests.

This intellectually barren offering from writer/director David Koepp suffers from severe continuity problems. For instance, the method of transportation used by two characters at one point changes inexplicably from an ambulance to a car, the transition glossed over through the magic of editing. The last time I checked this so-called “magic” doesn’t usually leave the viewer scratching his head in confusion.

That’s not the only problem with Premium Rush, for the plot features numerous gaping holes. Wilee (Gordon-Levitt) could never see himself behind a desk, working nine to five, so he chooses the occupation of bike messenger. He maximises the thrill by disabling the brakes on his bike and playing slalom with the on-coming traffic. For such a reckless individual, he’s probably the last person anyone would turn to for delivering an important package. The package in this case? An envelope, the contents of which corrupt New York cop Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) wishes to acquire in order to help  clear his gambling debt. 

Quite simply, we never care about Wilee or the antagonist who pursues him. In particular, Shannon displays no redeeming qualities. He’s not even a likeable villain. Therefore, he’s no threat to the reign of Dennis Hopper, the actor immortalised as a baddie in Speed. 

Lacking charisma, Gordon-Levitt relies on glib one-liners and less than spectacular stunt work to fill in the gaps normally occupied by character development. There’s something immature in the way his face registers alarm or danger that makes the whole enterprise unconvincing.

The editing leaves a lot to be desired. Often, editors Jill Savitt and Derek Ambrosi take the amateur route of explaining the story by showing events from earlier in the afternoon. (To solve this problem, they should have watched Collateral.) The whole film unfolds in less than a day, but the constant time shifts and perspective overlaps alleviate tension rather than allowing it to build. The single twist in the narrative becomes an excuse which the screenplay cannot justify.

Overall, Premium Rush has both a limited running time and intelligence, which will most likely insult the patience of some viewers -- as well as rob them of ten bucks.

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated "PG-13" for some violence, intense action sequences and language.)