Superb Performances...Great Authenticity

Rating: 7/10 (18 September 2013)

I am an F1 fanatic - I not only follow the current events, but also the background stories and history of the sport. Therefore I am fully aware of the dynamics of the sport throughout the decades, and the details of the Lauda and Hunt careers.
As such this film was a must-see for me, in the hope that it gives justice to F1 as a film topic, and also to see how this fantastic story is told.
The performances of Hemsworth and Bruhl are superb...without doubt the best thing about this film...both performances are Oscar-worthy. I had already heard acclaim for Bruhl as Lauda (and he was great), but for me Hemsworth as Hunt was surprising - he really nailed the accent and mannerisms.
The second success of the film is its authenticity. Clearly a lot of effort has been made to get the details of the era - the cars, the sponsors, the fashion, the F1 facts, the characters. Without this authenticity, real F1 fans would hate this film, but I believe they will be satisfied.
The look and sound of the F1 action is pretty good. Some of the CGI is not the best, particularly when used to make a car spin more dramatic that it perhaps was, but overall it does not ruin the film.
The film is more about the characters of Lauda and Hunt, than the sporting action, and that's fine. If you want to see more about the racing events and actual footage, watch the season reviews. This film does not provide a detailed insight into what happens throughout the seasons, nor events beyond the main characters.
There are some weaker aspects to the film: 1. The film feels fairly clunky, almost like a series of movie trailers stitched together...it does not flow from chapter to chapter. I think this is because the makers are trying to cover all points in 2 hours - character background, on-track action, news events, etc. Perhaps it would work better as a TV mini-series (episode 1: pre-F1 careers, episode 2: pre-1976 F1, episode 3: 1976 up to German GP, episode 4: 1976 and career climax). 2. The commentators are simply annoying. There is a continuous commentator narration around the race events, and also a poorly cast Stirling Moss character pops up at each race. These are supposed to provide an update on what is going on in the season, but it could have been done better - at least with variety. 3. There is a little poetic license. Non-F1 fans or even casual F1 fans probably will not notice, but if you know the details of the era, how F1 operates, and Lauda/Hunt as drivers, you will spot them. Obviously these are there to add to the drama, and in general they can be accepted.
Documentaries aside, I believe this is the best motorport movie so far. Sure it is not full of action, but it's a drama...a character study. When the action does intervene, it is heart (and ear) pounding.
F1 and motorsport films have been a challenging topic, and there are not many about, so I hope this will encourage more, because there are some equally fantastic stories to be told.