Slick and sexy if flawed. Howard's best work yet.

Rating: 7/10 (5 October 2013)

Rush has my personal distinction of being the first film I've seen after reading the script. Why did I do that? Mostly curiosity of how a film like this is written. I want to be a screenwriter so I wanted to see how it's done, especially those races. It's not the only film of the next four months that I've read nor the first of the bunch. I read upcoming films because reading scripts of films I know can be distracting trying to picture them for myself and unproduced scripts are most likely unproduced for a reason. Upcoming films means I have seen glimpses of them from the trailer but not too much and they're considered good enough to be produced right now. I wouldn't read a potential favourite but I'm still generally excited for the big films of the year. Anyway, it had to be said as it did affect my viewing experience, but it was certainly not a hindrance. It was only a hindrance for differentiating the film and script between the few scenes cut and added but there are only few and mostly for the better.
The first thing I got from the script was that Rush is all about sex appeal. James Hunt's introduction is written in big bold words given its own line: Sexy. The characters inhabit the extravagant sexy world of the 1970s with all of its grainy flavours and gritty vices. The use of words in the script invite vibrant technical potential in the editing and cinematography department for a audio-visual sensory experience over anything else. All this is designed as a juxtaposition to Niki Lauda, of whom is frequently described as a rat. Rush is sex vs. rat. Which is fine as an oversimplification, but it trades characterisation for superficial personality traits. As charming as Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl (who is good, not as great as his current acclaim) are in their roles, they rarely feel like relatable human beings. Granted, the film wants them to feel larger than life but personally I prefer emotional immersion than a spectacle that pushes its audiences away. But flash if it must and flash it does well.
The rival's back-and-forth continues throughout the film by constantly switching protagonists which although its intentions are that it wants to cover all ground, it results in us never feeling intimate with either of them, especially as each scene is rather short. Ironically, it feels rushed. It's scared of being boring. However, it's the film's third act that makes it all worth it. In that final race, everyone in front and behind camera is at the top of their game and it's a fantastically nail-biting sequence. Even if you know the result, it raises the stakes magnificently. I even forgot what happened by then. Not only is it thrilling but by this point the rivals have found an emotionally rewarding bond, even if they are still at odds. The film quite reminds me of last year's Argo in its pace and rock and roll atmosphere but its final cathartic act makes Rush a stronger film over last years Best Picture. Some have considered that this might be this year's Best Picture and Director. Even if 12 Years A Slave and Gravity weren't this year, I wouldn't see it happening, but after seeing the film I can see it earning a nomination, which I didn't after reading the script.
However, the representation of women is still terribly neglected. They are forever on the side, forever turned on (or off) for the men and racing. Olivia Wilde's character is a joke. It's not her fault, it's just what she had to work with. I wish the film didn't bother rather than awkwardly work women in, as there isn't a developed one here, even though the existence of Lauda's wife becomes key in the third act. That's what Rush is like until its third act, unfocused. The best scenes are the longer ones which move the story forward. Ron Howard is usually a very bland director. My favourite of his films is The Grinch, mostly for nostalgic reasons. What lifts Rush is the signature work of Danny Boyle's regular cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. He may have let Trance down but his kinetic closeups make the film, even his documentary-esque wides can be messy and not cut well together. They still made it cinematic. Zimmer's score does a great job of matching up to that standard. I wouldn't call Rush a winner, but it's worth watching.
7/10