Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, and Dania Ramirez. Directed by David Koepp, from a script by Koepp and John Kamps. Rated PG-13. 91 minutes. Critic’s grade: B+

“I can’t work in an office. I don’t like suits,” Wilee (read: Wile E. Coyote), the wiry, speed-demon bicycle messenger played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, says in voiceover at the start of “Premium Rush.”

Meanwhile, he and his stripped-down, fixed-gear, no-brakes vehicle of choice fly through the air in slow-mo before slamming down on the road, the fluttering keyboards of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” pounding on the soundtrack. The crowded urban streets and byways of Manhattan are his open-air office, and shorts, a red t-shirt, and sneakers constitute his work wear; indeed, no jacket required.

It’s a bracing start to a simply constructed if quite thrilling action flick that, once begun, rarely slows down to catch its breath. The film’s protagonist rockets forward, often moving by sheer dint of will and physical exertion; it’s difficult not to think of Tom Tykwer‘s “Run Lola Run,” another (admittedly very different) film entirely hinged to the perpetual motion of its lead character, or even the long running-man sequences in Mel Gibson‘s “Apocalypto.”

Wilee, who fled from the world of cubicles and suits after graduating from Columbia Law School, devotes his life to the art, science, sweat and blood of his hectic job, delivering items to various clients as fast as humanly possible, for compensation that often amounts to only $80 a day (how’s he going to pay back those ginormous school loans?) Director David Koepp (“Ghost Town”) expertly and stylishly delivers a view from the handlebars, and elsewhere on the bike, as the guy hurtles through the streets, executing close-shave maneuvers around taxicabs, buses, pedestrians, construction sites, and open car doors.

Several times in the film, the action pauses, as Wilee quickly assesses multiple intersection-crossing strategies, and the potential disasters play out on screen before he picks the safest, most efficient option: one choice would result in his body bouncing off a car hood, while another would end in his crashing into a baby carriage, etc. It’s a nifty effect, if perhaps used once too often.

The same might be said about the screen whooshes delivering onscreen time readouts, and the zippy zoom-ins and zoom-outs allowing for Google Map-style views of street addresses; the film strives for a consistent high-tech sheen that mildly contrasts with the low-tech ethos of its protagonist.

Following the prologue, the story flashes back — in one of several out-of-sequence time detours — to the start of Wilee’s troubles. Taking a “premium rush” (super-fast delivery) assignment, he picks up an envelope from foreign student Nima (Jamie Chung), who happens be the roommate of his sleek and sexy sometime girlfriend and fellow bike messenger, Vanessa (Dania Ramirez). The envelope contains a slip of paper worth $50,000.

Set to deliver the mysterious package to Chinatown, Wilee is interrupted by a doughy, high-strung tough guy (Michael Shannon) who introduces himself as Forrest J Ackerman, head of campus security. (The name, used several times, is an inside joke; as horror and sci-fi fans know, Ackerman was an enthusiast of the genres who edited Famous Monsters of Filmland and created the term “sci-fi.”) The faux private cop, as we learn soon enough, is corrupt NYPD detective Bobby Monday, who’s every bit as nasty, racist, violent and misogyny-fueled as the slimeballs played by Harvey Keitel and Nicolas Cage in the “Bad Lieutenant” films; during a violent attack on a woman, he confesses that he has “impulse control issues.” His confrontation with Wilee segues into a long, incredibly intense and ingenious car-versus-bicycle chase, easily the most thrilling of its kind ever seen in a movie.

The chase sets the mold for what’s to come: It’s essentially a Tom and Jerry story, with Wilee pursued by Monday and, on occasion, a hapless bicycle cop. Why is Monday after Wilee? The reasons are complicated, and better left unsaid, in part not to spoil the script’s few surprises. Suffice it to say that the story touches on illicit backroom gambling, the illegal value transfer system known as Hawala, human smuggling, and a love triangle involving another bike messenger (Wole Parks).

In addition to the thrills and near-spills, the sturdy work of the versatile Gordon-Levitt (recently seen in “The Dark Knight Rises,” “50/50” and “Inception”), and a nearly over-the-top performance by a permanently apoplectic Shannon (“Take Shelter”), “Premium Rush” offers some impressive fly-by views of familiar Big Apple locales, including Central Park, Columbus Circle, Times Square, Chinatown, and the Columbia University area.

“The bike wants to go fast. It’s steadier that way,” Wilee says at one point. Ditto for “Premium Rush.” It’s built for speed, and goes exactly where it needs to go, delivering impressive visual buzz along the way.