Rush

Rating: 8/10 (4 October 2013)

There was a good amount of promotion for this film before it was released, including its director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, Frost/Nixon) appearing on Top Gear to do Star in the Reasonably Priced Car, I was definitely up for a true story film about racing. Basically young and brash Briton James Hunt (Thor's Chris Hemsworth) and cool and calculating Austrian Niki Lauda (Inglourious Basterds' Daniel Brühl) are highly skilled racing drivers who developed a strong rivalry during their time in Formula Three, and they soon enough buy their way into Formula One, Lauda joining Ferrari and Hunt joining McLaren. While they are preparing for the big leagues with their new cars and sponsorships, Hunt gets married to supermodel Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde), while Lauda starts a relationship with socialite Marlene Knaus (Alexandra Maria Lara), and the two racers meet each other on the track for the 1976 Formula One season. Lauda dominates and wins the first two races while Hunt struggles to beat him or be in good place, and the Spanish Grand Prix he does win he is disqualified for his car being too wide, and more problems arise when he does not stick to the rules of Formula One, and he finds out Suzy has been having a relationship with actor Richard Burton. Following the divorce from his wife Hunt gains his competitive spirit back, and the disqualification from Spain is overturned, so his points are reinstated and he is still in the running for the championship, and meanwhile in a private ceremony Lauda marries Marlene, but he worries the marriage has effects on his racing skill. At the German Grand Prix the race is threatened by heavy rain, causing the track to be dangerous to drive on, Lauda insists that the race should be cancelled, but he is overruled by Hunt and the other racers who convince the F1 committee he is worried of losing his points, the race goes on with the rain pouring, and it is halfway through that disaster occurs, when Lauda's breaks fails and his car crashes violently into the embankment, catching fire, and other cars crashing into it. Lauda is pulled out of the wreckage and suffers third degree burns to his face and toxic fumes in his lungs, for six weeks he is treated for his severe injuries, and while this happens he watches on television as Hunt wins many races and gains many points, and against doctor's wishes he returns for the Italian Grand Prix to race, he comes fourth place, while Hunt fails to finish the race. The 1976 championship is coming to its climax, with Japanese Grand Prix, where it is again rainy, and Hunt is only three points behind Lauda and can only win the championship if he comes third or higher, in the second lap Lauda opts out and returns to Marlene, explaining he will not risk his life, while Hunt continues, and after the final lap he is eventually positioned third place and beats Lauda by just one point, and he wins the 1976 Formula One season trophy. For the next year Hunt enjoys the lifestyle as a winner and all that fame has to offer, money, sex and drugs, while Lauda starts learning how to fly planes, they meet each other at an airfield, Hunt confesses that having won a championship he has nothing to prove, he continues to race until his retirement in 1979, becoming a commentator for motorsport broadcasts, he died in 1993 aged forty five from a heart attack, while Lauda retired in 1985 and now runs airlines and does commentary. Also starring Pierfrancesco Favino as Clay Regazzoni, Me and Orson Welles's Christian McKay as Lord Alexander Hesketh, Stephen Mangan as Alastair Caldwell, Green Wing's Julian Rhind-Tutt as Anthony 'Bubbles' Horsley, Alistair Petrie as Stirling Moss, Natalie Dormer as Nurse Gemma, Patrick Baladi as John Hogan, Joséphine De La Baume as Agnes Bonnet and Kristofer Dayne as Mario Andretti. Hemsworth is a perfect choice as "Hunt the Shunt" being swaggering and determined, but also thoughtful, and Brühl is equally perfect as "The Rat" being tactical and nerdy, and scowling a lot, the direction by Howard is well paced, with fast paced action during the sometimes dangerous and high- octane races, and a good script for the slower bits, a thrilling and thoughtful biographical drama. Very good!