Fast and Loose

Rating: 7/10 (4 October 2013)

This film is recommended.
Gentlemen, start your engines! The need for speed is the mainstay in Ron Howard's cinematic ode to racing, Rush, a well crafted, if formulaic, Formula One racing car drama.
The film tells the true story of two racing champions, British playboy James Hunt, and temperamental Austrian driver Niki Lauda, and centers on the on-going rivalry between the two drivers. Both are Type A personalities: ambitious, energetic, and competitive. And both are unlikeable characters, which throws the audience's sympathies askew from the onset. They act predictably petty and selfish throughout the film with no real maturity or growth to speak of. There is no real surprises in the character's development, actions, or motivations in Peter Morgan's straightforward script. It also doesn't help that the dialog never builds any real conflict or resolution.
Yet what makes Rush so watchable are the purely technical aspects of the film. Howard knows how to set up his shots for maximum effect and he skillfully keeps the action sequences exciting and tense. The Formula One racing scenes are wonderful and quite exhilarating. Particularly impressive is the rain-soaked Grand Prix racing sequence an expect blending of visual images. His biggest misstep is incorporating the real footage of Hunt and Lauda which seems a tad jarring in comparison.
The film boasts first-rate production values. The editing by Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill is just terrific, as is the stunning photography by Anthony Dod Mantle. Special mention also goes to the expert sound design, the strong makeup work, and a music score by Hans Zimmer which is never overdone or intrusive. The period art direction and costumes help to capture the 70's era with clever subtleties.
As long as Rush stays literally on the course, the film is highly entertaining. But whenever it detours into the realm of the human drama, the film is a bit of a bore. This is not the fault of the actors involved. Liam Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl bring the right degree of vanity and physically posturing to their conventional roles. Both actors make their stilted characters more believable. Manyl of the supporting characters are underwritten and rarely seem authentic. This is especially true with the female love interests played by Olivia Wilde and.Alexandra Maria Lara, fine actresses that aren't given enough to do.
Although Rush may veer dangerously off trackage times, it does cross the finish line, just not in the winner's circle. GRADE: B
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com