More than just a film about cars.

Rating: 7/10 (25 September 2013)

''Rush'' is a very good film about the rivalry between two Formula 1 race car drivers and their lives behind it. Directed by Ron Howard, the film is a triumph concerning action sequences, film editing and sound. Despite it being a sports film about racing, ''Rush'' never fails to develop its characters, its story and its suspense thus delivering a deeply satisfying conclusion.
Beginning with the film's performances, one would expect to see little character development, acting and emotion but a whole lot of action. However, this is not the case. The film's performances are very good. Daniel Brühl gives an outstanding performance as Austrian Niki Lauda: from the character's personality, body movement, expressions and emotions to his speaking accent, Brühl manages to handle it more than well and deliver a very authentic and powerful performance. From his first appearance in the film, he stays a very powerful figure throughout the film and very memorable after it. He realizes the character's motives and feelings which enables him to fully portray his character. Despite his performances in films such as ''Thor'', ''Red Dawn'' and ''The Cabin in the Woods'', Chris Hemsworth gives a decent enough performance as James Hunt. He is far from outstanding but he portrays his character as he should be, never overacting nor underplaying his character, thus delivering a satisfying and believable performance as a race car driver. The rest of the cast doesn't have much screen time since the film mainly focuses on the two protagonists but their acting does not disappoint.
The film's exhilarating action sequences are probably the main reason people will go to see it and they will not be disappointed. With rapid but smooth editing, the renowned film editing duo (Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill) manages to ''tell'' the story rather clearly rather than just smothering it under its heavy action scenes. Other technical aspects such as sound editing, sound mixing and cinematography are superb. Sound, especially, plays a very important role in the film and luckily, the sound is clear, realistic and not bombastic as most Hollywood action films. The racing sequences are superb: we see them from every angle possible, never confusing nor annoying the viewer with their rapid cuts, instead keeping the viewer interested (especially during the final climatic race). As for the score, Hans Zimmer's fast paced music adds nicely to the film's racing sequences, turning the suspense meter way up without distracting the viewer. As with most of Zimmer's works, the film's score is very epic and memorable which captures the film's action.
What works very well in the film is the fact that it's not just a film full or car explosions, racing and trophies but a film which tells the story of two people who succeeded in the race tracks, a film which doesn't drown its characters under its impressive action sequences but allows them to breath.