Rush, 2013.
Directed by Ron Howard.
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl , Alexandra Maria Lara, Olivia Wilde, and Natalie Dormer.
SYNOPSIS:
Rush depicts the true story of the rivalry between Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, largely focusing on the 1976 season where both men were willing to risk everything to win.
With Rush, Ron Howard has distilled the excitement and drama of Formula 1 into an engrossing movie that perfectly balances the contrast between the two men. The film follows their rivalry from their first meeting up to the end of the 1976 season. Not having been familiar with this story I can’t comment on whether they got all the details correct; I know in some adaptations of true stories there are liberties taken, but Rush does a fantastic job of conveying the essence of Hunt and Bruhl’s rivalry.
The two men are like fire and ice. James Hunt is a swaggering, charming playboy whose easy-going nature is magnetic. Niki Lauda is a composed, calculating professional whose brusque manner alienates those around him. Yet both men are bound by a passion for driving and their competiveness brings out the best in each other. Both actors did a great job with their characters, and I didn’t feel that one outshone the other. Both characters were quite complex; while Hunt seemed a shallow braggart he was shown to have a more vulnerable, insecure side and his fiery, wayward nature threatened to destroy him. Lauda was cool and composed, yet there was a passion burning under the surface that was close to boiling over. Hemsworth and Lauda both gave impressive performances with a lot of nuance, and I don’t think one outshone the other.
The direction was as slick as the tyres on the track. Ron Howard captured the glamour of the sport but gave it a heavy weight with the constant reminder that these drivers were racing with death only a marginal miscalculation away. He didn’t shy away from showing the more gruesome aspects of the sport; with smouldering wrecks and grisly injuries as much as part of proceedings as the flowing champagne and shining cups. Speed bled through the screen, and the thunderous roar of engines accompanied by the screeching of tyres made the racing segments utterly enthralling. The sense of danger is ever-present, especially when the torrential rain pours down in a relentless storm. There were some inventive camera angles from inside the driver’s helmets that gave a very claustrophobic, intimate feel and it helped bond the audience to the action.
The balance between the two drivers was handled well. Both stories felt like they were given equal weight and a natural contrast between them was struck. There was plenty of depth given to their lives beyond the racetrack to show the complex emotions that they struggled with, but there was enough natural humour to prevent the film from being bogged down in tragedy without comprising the dramatic weight. One particular comedic highlight was one of the strangest proposals I have ever heard. I appreciated the look at the politics behind the scenes of Formula 1 and the supporting cast all played their parts well, especially the two love interests (Olivia Wilde and Alexandra Maria Lara), who both give impactful performances while not really having that much screentime.
Rush is a fantastic look at the human spirit and the ways in which passion can drive us forward. The duality of the two men is fascinating and while their professional rivalry is fierce they also develop a strong mutual respect, and a heartfelt voiceover is a nice way to bookend the film. Hemsworth, Bruhl and Howard should be applauded for this masterpiece; the compelling narrative is a testament to the force of the human will and gives an absorbing look at these two men who are in some ways complete opposites but in others are entirely similar.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert D. Spake – Find me on Facebook and Amazon.
Originally published September 10, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
