Gold Rush

Rating: 8/10 (22 February 2014)

Now, before I start reviewing, let me just state that I'm a huge F1 fan. I followed this sport since I was 11, and more specifically I followed Kimi Raikkonen since the start of his F1 career. I thought this movie was a great representation of not only the rivalry but of the sport itself. Sure, they dramatised the rivalry between Nikki Lauda and James Hunt. In reality they weren't on each other's throat as they were in the movie. In fact, at one point they were even house mates. But I love the whole message of the movie overall; What Drives You. It is exactly what these drivers are. They look death straight in the eye every time they are on track, and that pushes them to drive to their best. I love this quote by James Hunt in the movie:
"Don't go to men who are willing to kill themselves driving in circles looking for normality"
The danger, the risks, and ultimately driving is an F1 driver's definition of normality. When you have a passion for something, no matter what happens you just can't stop. F1 drivers has pants full of passion. A lot of drivers had accidents in their careers whether it was a big one or a small one. Some almost led them to their death. On top of my head, I remembered when Kubica flipped over, that was a scary crash. He managed to walk out of it with just bruises and scratches and continued racing. How bout when Massa was hit by a fallen suspension spring and dove head first into the barriers, he injured his head and had a platinum plate installed in his skull. But that didn't stop him from racing when he was well enough. Ralf Schumacher injured his spine. Same story when Lauda crashed. He had third degree burns and still opted to drive even when he wasn't fully recovered. These people don't see any way out of it. Either you go big and win or you don't do the sport at all which is probably equivalent to death for them which is what this movie is about. At the start it might be about rivalry but at the end its what you risk for passion and how much it means to you.
By dramatising the rivalry, the movie has come up with characters with completely different personalities. You have Hunt, the brash, aggressive and handsome driver, who is a loose cannon and feeds on the thrill of driving and also on the attention. Kinda reminds me of a couple of drivers in F1 *cough* Sebastian Vettel *cough*. Then you have the straight and narrow Lauda, who is more interested in the mechanics and precision of the sport. He works very close with the mechanics and with the car to optimise his chances of winning. Something that all the drivers has learnt from, you have to know your car and be one with it. He is confident and not afraid to speak his mind, which can make him look like an asshole at times. The movie is not very technical in the sense that it doesn't go very deep into the sport or even about the cars. It mainly focuses on the drivers aspect of it and in a way brings a human touch to the sport. Which is good as the audience does not need to be a fan of the sport to get it. It's not all about the machine and the cars. Its also about the drivers and how much skill they have to acquire to drive at 300 mph. And that's why I think fans love the sport, we respect how much these drivers have to put in and also how much it goes into building a car like that. Its a perfect marriage of man and machine. There was even a slight reflection of the politics that goes on in the F1 world especially when Ferrari was angry at Lauda for not continuing when Lauda thought it was too dangerous.
The cinematography is great in this movie. It really gives a vintage feel to it but not overdoing it to make it look artistic. The colours and lighting was executed subtly but perfectly to really enhance the feel of the movie. I was actually very impressed by it. Good job on both the actors but really kudos to Daniel Bruhl for embodying Nikki Lauda. It was as though the part was made for him. I would say overall it was a great film, not only for F1 fans. If anybody has wondered why people love F1, I suggest watching this film.