The film unfolds like a feast of tasty appetizers that never settles into a meal.

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2013)

It's my firm belief that if you have to start a movie in medias res and go back to the beginning, then your original beginning isn't strong enough. This holds true in Ron Howard's latest film about F1 racing legends, the Maverick Brit James Hunt and his prickly Austrian rival Niki Lauda, where the movie opens at a critical moment only to immediately go back in time to recap. Ron Howard knows how to create drama, pace and suspense perfectly but there seemed to lack a cohesive narrative thread that would have made Rush outstanding.
What I liked: The movie is as slick as a race car and the racing scenes are wonderfully executed, especially when there is poor weather conditions. The movie is certainly entertaining. The characters and relationships however are underdeveloped and, frankly, a little wasted; except for Daniel Bruehl who plays Niki Lauda and adds all the heart and soul to this film. He is brilliant and seemingly reaches beyond the written character, if I am to compare him to Chris Hemsworth's less dynamic portrayal. Somehow, while Hemsworth is convincing his character, ironically, lacks the charm to carry the emotion of each short scene, whereas Bruehl's Lauda grows on us and stays with us. The best moments of the film come late when we come to respect the rivalry as they do. I enjoyed that there is no definitive hero and both characters make for a series of well captured scenes but
What I didn't like: The film unfolds like a feast of tasty appetizers that never settles into a meal. The story is interesting and there are well-executed moments of real connection and emotion but they never last long enough or fit properly to create a fluid whole. The camera-work by Anthony Dod Mantle was electric and worked very well in some seems but, again, seemed to piece together different moods or ideas that contributed my overall sense of disharmony.
My rating: Wishing for an Oscar nod for Daniel Brühl.
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