If you saw Spielberg's Disclosure Day this summer and, like me, came away a little disappointed, I'm happy to just blame the screenwriter. David Koepp has plenty of talent, and is responsible for writing Panic Room, the first Mission: Impossible film, and adapting Jurassic Park, among others. But, like all of us, he's got some misses mixed in with the hits. Thankfully, Premium Rush ends up on the positive end of the scale.

Directing from a script he cowrote with John Kamps, Koepp delivers a breezy good time in the form of a Manhattan bike messenger's worst day on the job. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Wilee, a skilled courier with a no-brakes, fixed-gear bicycle, always willing to put himself in harm's way for another cross-town delivery. When he accepts a "premium rush" job with a short timeframe and extra compensation, the decision winds up complicating his day in unexpected ways. Not only are the contents of his delivery highly sensitive and life-altering, there's at least one determined individual hunting Wilee across the city, willing to do just about anything to intercept the package. Wolé Parks, Dania Ramirez, Jamie Chung, and Michael Shannon all costar in this unusual thriller.

Koepp's film is fun, exciting, a little silly, and doesn't have time to wear out its welcome at only 91 minutes. There are some interesting style choices the director makes that add to the visual appeal of setting a chase movie in the corridors of downtown NYC, and while it might not adhere strictly to the rules of "real-time" thrillers, it's more or less taking place over the course of the hour and a half the characters are experiencing. And how many movies attempt to convey the adrenaline rush of bike messengers, surely one of the more dangerous jobs a person can have in the urban jungle? It's a profession ripe for exploration, and this central concept is what makes Premium Rush worth checking out, especially if you're looking for something a little different than your typical action movie.