Rush

Rush is Ron Howard's best film in nearly a decade.  It may even be one of his best films (despite having an extremely uneven filmography, that's still saying something).

This is the "true story" of James Hunt and Niki Lauda, two Formula One racers that held an intense rivalry during the 1970s.  Most of the movie focuses on the races during 1976, but there is plenty of time devoted to their rise through the lower Formula Three.  Basically, they are both assholes (and they say as much to each other several times).  Hunt is a womanizer with plenty of charisma to make up for his devil-may-care attitude.  Lauda is so dedicated and clinical that he is not well liked, but he has so much talent that his skill supersedes his cold exterior.

This is a pretty great movie.  I think that it could've faired better from focusing on one man or the other.  In a perfect world, we'd have seen two films about the same events from each man's experience.  It just feels as if the movie is a bit rushed (*rimshot*).  Not enough time is given to what made these men who they are.  They talk about it a little, but good storytelling is showing not telling.

That's not to say the film is lacking character development.  The rivalry is established and the men grow in respect for each other.  They each have a pretty decent arc.

It's the performances that fuel this film.  This is especially true with Daniel Brühl as Lauda.  He's kind of incredible.  He plays Lauda as a man who cares about nothing but winning.  He's there to race not to be liked.  Yet, you can always see that he does want to be liked.  He wants to be accepted.  Chris Hemsworth plays Hunt by doing what he does best: being super charming.  But he also wants to be like Lauda.  He craves that control that Lauda has.  Bonus for the ladies: Lots of Hemsworth's nude butt in this movie.

Ron Howard is good with actors.  Regardless of the movie, he gets people to act well (although even he can't get a decent English accent out of Olivia Wilde).  But this is a rare time when his film has some visual style.  It's very kinetic.  The races are shot extremely well with plenty of wide shots to establish the drivers' positions on the track as well as shots so close up that the camera is inside the helmet.  Rush is at the very least an exciting movie.

I really got a kick out of this movie.  What could've been a soft PG-13 snore-fest turned out to be an R-rated, ass-kicking race car movie.  I doubt that it'll convert any Americans to Formula One fans (you should watch some though), but it is like an island in the sea of Nascar movies.  If you need a break from the perpetual left turn of Nascar, check out Rush (or Grand Prix or Fast Company or Le Mans).

7.5 out of 10