An F1 Feast whether you like the sport or not

Rating: 10/10 (23 September 2013)

I like my motor racing and was old enough to remember the Lauda / Hunt season of 1976 which captivated the sporting public. I was dubious about the epic battle coming to the silver screen and yet after watching it, concluded that I'd just seen the best motor racing film of all time.
We have been in this territory before. Both Steve McQueen and Jack Lemmon have had a go and in recent years we've seen NASCAR as well. But none have come close in captivating the sense of romance, danger and sheer bravery of the two protagonists in question.
So why does it work so well? For a start, watching Daniel Brühl as Nikki Lauda was like watching the great man himself. A dead ringer who portrays the great man impeccably and who is the very antithesis of Hunt, the flamboyant, heavy drinking womaniser and maverick. Hemsworth looks great - not a dead ringer for Hunt but good enough and his accent is perfect.
Of course, anyone who knows their motor racing knows what happens in the end. But it is the journey that is taken, from Lord Hesketh privateering a young James Hunt in Formula Two where he first comes to race with his Austrian counterpart, to the 1976 F1 Season and the tragedy of that day at the Nurburgring.
It would be easy to focus on the climax of the film with Hunt being the winner, after nearly losing the title with a double puncture. But it is Lauda who is quite rightly the hero. The crash, the horrendous rehabilitation, the shocking press conference, the fear at his return at Monza, and then retirement in the final race. To come back from those injuries in only 6 weeks and to come so close to another World Championship is testament to the bravery of the man who went on to become a racing legend.
The film also pays a great tribute to Hunt, who whilst affectionately known as 'the Shunt', was far more than just the stereotypical playboy. By Lauda's own admission, Hunt was a highly skilled driver who was incredibly quick. He lived his life on the edge both professionally and privately. To lose the great man at the age of 45 from a heart attack was a tragedy in itself, especially as he had been sober for four years.
Whether you like F1 or not is irrelevant. Rush is a brilliant true life story which is expertly crafted by Ron Howard. The race scenes are fantastically reproduced and the sound is epic. You are left under no illusion that these guys put their lives on the line every time they turned up at the track.
Rush has been tipped for the Oscars and quite rightly so. You will not see a better acting performance than from Daniel Brühl and I hope that he receives the coveted golden statue as it will be well deserved.
If you haven't seen the film give it a go. Its a fabulous story, has some truly comic moments at times (the broken down car scene is a belter!) but also drama, heartbreak and triumph. And it is the fastest two hours I've experienced at the movies for many years.