A thrilling epic that feels alive...

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2013)

Director Ron Howard ('A Beautiful Mind', 'Frost/Nixon', 'Da Vinci Code', 'Apollo 13' etc) doesn't narrate the story of 'Rush' by letting you choose sides through one driver's perspective. In fact, with some adept writing by Peter Morgan ('The Queen', 'Frost/Nixon'), we travel in time to witness the events that lead up to the Formula 1 World Championship of 1976 and the formation of an unparallelled rivalry. Back then, racing wasn't as safe as it now is. It was rather an era when recklessness and flamboyance brought glory to some racers while two of the others on the grid, died every year. In the midst of this, are two men driven by danger; two rivals driven by passion; two legends driven by each other. Ron Howard is renowned for having a keen sense of the idiosyncrasies of his protagonists and here too, he depicts the influence of their personal lifestyles that shaped their racing styles. But where he really excels, is with the rivalry on track. The sheer thrill, excitement and dangers of Formula 1 racing are brilliantly captured as we travel the globe through stormy wet weather with cars screaming across the screen at 170 mph.
They called him a loose cannon but his raw talent was unmistakable. James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) was aggressive on the circuit and foolhardy off it. Being an outspoken, alcoholic casanova was his way of having fun and believed that it was a necessary balance to the challenges of being a risk-taking race car driver. With an independent, small budget team, Hunt moves up from Formula 3 to the join the ranks of the F1 racers, only to meet his nemesis from the past season. The methodical, reserved but often brash and terribly fast Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) enters Formula 1 by buying out a team with his loaned money and engineers his car meticulously to be the fastest man and champion in only his second season. The cool headed and thoughtful Lauda was quite the opposite of the aggressive and impulsive Hunt and therefore, their confrontations are a treat to watch and more often than not, they battle it out on the track. The film's turning point though is the incident at the German GP in Nurburgring (deemed to be too unsafe to race on by Lauda). 6 weeks later, a struggle for survival, the willpower to race again and the hunger for victory, bring the rivals together once more to fight for the title. In the spectacularly soaked Japanese GP, the engines rev up once more and the tyres spin over the track in a thrilling finale to one of the greatest rivalries in sports history.
Ron Howard has made his most exhilarating and brilliant film. Peter Morgan's exemplary screenplay and dialogue make the confrontations between the drivers edgy while giving the story some good substance to keep the non-racing scenes interesting as well. Cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle is quite simply, superb. The close up of rain drops against wheels spinning off the starting grid, the gloomy sun on a stormy race day in Japan, the slow motion effects of the crashes and the point-of-view angles during the races make for some compelling viewing. The essence of Hans Zimmer's background score is the theme of each race being a risk that is only rewarded with a victory. The tone somehow reflects the aggression and tragedy of the rivalry itself and is quite epic upon reflection.
The ravishing Olivia Wilde and a well composed Alexandra Maria Lara support the racers on and off the track but the film is completely dominated by the two powerful performances of the racers. Chris Hemsworth is quite a revelation when one simply attributes his noteworthy work to being an angry, strong yet charming superhero. With his aggressive driving, impulsive drive for sex and outspoken brashness, Hemsworth appears well collected and mature to tackle the challenges of being the legendary James Hunt. Among his best scenes is one with some positive argument with Lauda towards the end of the film, where he justifies his lifestyle and his winning ways. While one sees the fun, reckless and victorious Hunt, there couldn't have been a better portrayal of his opposite. Daniel Bruhl has portrayed Niki Lauda in the most remarkable manner. With the prosthetics and speech, Bruhl emphasizes the technicalities and his focus to take racing seriously just as the living legend would. Much more reserved than Hunt ever was, Lauda was a dedicated and disciplined racer for whom mental focus and physical conditioning were key to winning in a well engineered car. Bruhl's performance showcases this keen understanding of Niki Lauda while adding the matter-of-factness to his dialogues. He seldom smiles because when he does, the joke is upon him. In being calculative, his emotion of happiness in love is a loss to him as he considers it a weakness that won't let him risk it all on the track.
Driven by the actors' sincerest performances, 'Rush' feels more alive. Peter Morgan's exemplary writing gives the film its exciting moments and Mantle's superb cinematography brings the thrilling intensity of F1 racing on the big screen in epic fashion. Ron Howard pulled in some great talent and added his expertise of characterized drama with a surprising jolt of epic visuals to recreate the magical era of racing in the 70s. James Hunt and Niki Lauda conclude an important point of the story that they are both driven by each other. From their low points to their victories, what kept them going, was their rivalry and their hunger for victory. They often reached a physical and emotional breaking point but there was no margin of error when the championship was at stake. 'Rush' is a grand prize from Ron Howard and should be cherished by fans of Formula 1 racing as well as movie-goers who simply like a tale of triumphant human spirits.

9.14 on a scale of 1-10.