A Real Rush.

Rating: 8/10 (14 September 2015)

Rush (2013): Dir: Ron Howard / Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino: Electrifying action sports drama about that adrenalin rush when faced with stern competition. True story of the battle between two Formula One drivers. Chris Hemsworth plays English playboy James Hunt who boozes and hooks up with several women. Daniel Bruhl plays the focused Austrian driver Niki Lauda who is appalled by the actions of Hunt. Set mainly in 1976 with Ron Howard creating exciting racing action as well as tension when weather creates a major crash. One narrative element that isn't examined to its fullest is the married lives of the two driver. Both drivers react differently to this. Hemsworth creates the flamboyant competitive personality of Hunt while Bruhl is equally great as Lauda who survives a nasty crash that leaves him scarred. One big flaw is that Olivia Wilde, as Hunt's wife who leaves him for Richard Burton, and Alexandra Maria Lara as Lauda's loyal wife seem like an after thought and are too much in the distant background. Pierfrancesco Favino plays another racer named Clay Regazzoni from Switzerland, who died a few years prior to this film's release. This is not a film about Formula One. It regards a rivalry so fierce that the two factors can do no more than nod and respect each other. Ron Howard began his directing career with an inferior race car comedy called Grand Theft Auto. Here he raises the rod with intense focus as two champions pit against each other in a struggle for fame, triumph and hopefully dignity. Score: 8 / 10