Rush (2013)
Certified: 15
Duration: 122 minutes
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino, David Calder, Natalie Dormer, Stephen Mangan, Christian McKay, Alistair Petrie, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Colin Stinton, Jamie de Courcey
KRS release
Rush pits its audience into the world of Formula 1 racing. Chris Hemsworth is James Hunt, a playboy and a fast, death-defying driver. Daniel Brühl is his rival Niki Lauda, a cold and calculating driver who pays attention to every detail, both on and off the track. The film follows the two as they pit against each other in the world of Formula 1 racing.
The love-hate relationship between Lauda and Hunt is tangible
Lauda does not like to socialise but he ends up with Marlene (Alexandra Maria Lara), while Hunt marries model Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde). In the 1976 Grand Prix, the rivalry escalates to unprecedented heights, with Hunt vying to throw Lauda off his throne.
Under the direction of Ron Howard, Rush delivers a shot of adrenaline, and is a definite must-see for all Formula 1 fans and for audiences interested in dramas and biopics.
The director of Apollo 13 (1995), Cinderella Man (2005) and Frost/Nixon (2008), here brings in two actors and coaxes out of them an edgy performance that is simply admirable. The film thus transcends away from the Formula 1 fan base; it is not just the story of faceless men hidden under a helmet driving around a circuit in circles.
The love-hate relationship between Lauda and Hunt is tangible. The fact that the drivers face off against each over a year-long season, provides the film ample time to build its game and, in fact, we witness an evolution in the duo’s relationship. Seeing the two clash on and off the racetrack is the film’s inner acumen.
It is in this respect that Howard excels; he plays it like a surgeon, dissecting here and there, just enough to get the audience to feel what lies under Hunt’s thrill of the chase and his endless race towards unrelenting hedonism; and under Lauda’s meticulous approach on the track, while being unable to cope off it.
Rush handles the male relationships better than the female protagonists; this despite the fact that Wilde tries her best but this is not her character’s story. It is neither Hunt’s story nor Lauda’s; it is both and to untie them from each other in this movie would be useless.
In my opinion, this film deserves a few Oscar nominations as it has an all-round quality to it that is enviable.