Rush is a movie that I thought would be dumb based on the trailer. If produced n the early 80s, I would have been all about it. But with so many sports movies created since then, I honestly feel like there isn’t much that is able to make it feel original. So many sports movies have the “been there/done that” approach. They retell Rocky over and over and over again. On top of that, it’s a car racing movie, which is generally something that doesn’t interest me. Also, it is Formula 1 racing, which I find far less exciting than NASCAR. I’ve never seen a Formula 1 race live, and the experience certainly doesn’t translate on the screen for me…especially the road races. Finally, the name of the movie bothered me. There is already a fantastic movie called Rush that came out in 1991 and starred Jason Patric (he was born to play the roles of troubled police detectives) and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It’s a small thing, but something that I thought Ron Howard would respect. Despite these factors going against it before the opening titles even rolled, I found the movie to be a great story, quite enjoyable, and well directed.
With apologies to Thor (worst superhero ever, worst superhero franchise ever), this is Chris Hemsworth’s (Star Trek, Snow White and the Huntsman) best film to date…by far. He showed he was more than a pretty face in the role of James Hunt, a talented but reckless Formula 1 driver who scrambles for a new ride after his former owner fails to secure sponsorship for the upcoming season and is forced to shut down the team. The year is 1976, the season following rival Niki Lauda’s (Daniel Brühl- 2 Days in Paris, The Bourne Ultimatum) first Formula 1 championship. James and the disciplined Niki start a conversation at a post-season party where Niki tells him that all of his flamboyancy means nothing. Niki also shrugs off a “you’ve got to enjoy life some” response. This conversation describes the stark contrast between the two top drivers of the mid 1970s. The discussion motivated James enough to prepare in the off-season more than ever before. So when he does lose his ride, he becomes frantic trying to secure a new one. When he cannot, he turns to alcohol for comfort and either neglects or lashes out at his model wife, Suzy (Olivia Wilde – In Time, Deadfall). Finally, he has a meeting with McLaren Racing. They are reluctant to sign him as their driver because of his aloofness and inconsistencies with his approach to the sport. Still, he wins them by promising to do whatever they ask while also winning the championship. Meanwhile, Niki is hired to drive for Ferrari, despite his earlier claims that the car was junk.
The rest of the movie highlights the 1976 season,, including all of the drivers’ ups and downs. Director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) did a fantastic job of learning what drives each of the two men. There was talk about Brühl possibly earning a Best Supporting Actor nomination based on his performance. I see why. I would not have been disappointed if he had earned a nomination. I think he deserved a nomination over Bradley Cooper for American Hustle. Niki was relentless in every detail about his performance, car, and team. He didn’t care if his team liked or hated him as long as they were in the best position to help him win. He was born to be a driver, whereas James was just born to be a star. James wanted the spotlight. Niki knew it was just part of the process. James is the lead character, so Howard positions the movie in a position where you want James to win. However, he develops Niki in a way that makes him less and less the antagonist as the film progresses. He also makes the movie less about racing as it progresses and more about the relationship between the two men. Even in the film’s most intense scenes, you start thinking, “Well, I might be okay regardless of how this ends up.”
This movie clearly would not be as good if it were not based on a true story. Movies like this that aren’t based on true stories play with your emotions a bit too much. But when based on a true story, it becomes that much more powerful. With that said, the movie was intense but not emotional. Sometimes I get caught up in sports stories that result in me feeling thrilled when the individual/team wins the big game/match or extremely sad if it ends the other way. That’s not the case here, and I think, in part, it’s because Howard takes it away from being a sports movie. Hemsworth shows his prowess as a lead actor. I’m not sold on him yet, but I’m willing to give him some more chances, and I’ll try not to hold it against him that he’s part of the Thor franchise.
Plot 9/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 9/10 (Howard did a great job simplifying the story for those who don’t understand Formula 1 driving. He also did a great job of telling how different these two characters were but how much respect and admiration they had for each other)
Cinematography 10/10 (absolutely)
Sound 10/10 (for sure)
Hook and Reel 9/10
Universal Relevance 7.5/10 (it wasn’t a story that needed telling…didn’t over much over other sports stories…I did like that it was character driven between each of the two drivers and that divide was close to 50/50…in a way, it was like they were two protagonists even though you had to shift your allegiance to one of the two)
89.5%
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- Ford Vs. Ferrari
- I, Tonya
- Days of Thunder
- Seabiscuit
- Death Race
This film gave me goosebumps. I connected with Nicki Lauda’s role more and it even inspired me. To top it all, Zimmer’s music simply elevated the cinematic experience 🙂