RUSH - Review

Rush

Sports Drama, 2013
2 hours, 2 minutes
Written by Peter Morgan
Directed by Ron Howard
Rated R for "sexual content, nudity, language, some disturbing images and brief drug use."


Starring
Chris Hemsworth
Daniel Brühl
Olivia Wilde
Alexandra Maria Lara
Christian McKay
Natalie Dormer
Pierfrancesco Favio



I don't know a lot about Formula One racing, but I've watched a couple of movies about it. I feel as if I were to watch Formula One in real life, I'd be bored out of my fucking mind.
Thank God Rush isn't boring. It isn't quite the best movie I've seen this year, but it's definitely a good one.
For those who don't know, Rush is the true story about two racers, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, and their intense rivalry as racers. They're both fairly interesting guys, both of them very skilled racers, yet they're both polar opposites. Hunt is a regular playboy, picking up various women and finding no happiness in his sexual exploits. Lauda, on the other hand, is more focused on his cars than he is women... that is, until the right one comes along, of course.
Their story begins one day during a Formula Three race (Formula Three, from what I understand, is just a lower tier of Formula racing) in which Hunt takes the win, just barely, out of Lauda's hands. From that moment on, the two of them become fierce rivals. Both of them make their way into the prestigious Formula One league, and they both are incredible racers. Then, one day, Lauda's car crashes, and receives severe burns on his face which horribly disfiguring him. This further builds the tension between the two of them.
Both lead actors are excellent in their roles. It's easily Chris Hemsworth's finest role to date, definitely better than he is as Thor. I got nothing against Thor, but yeah. It's better. Daniel Brühl, most known for his performance as the Nazi who fucks everything up in that bar scene in Inglorious Basterds. He's wonderful as Lauda, expertly capturing the emotionally and physically tortured man. The cinematography is great. The use of color, as well as the shot composition, is great. The racing scenes are tightly shot and edited, and the visual style adds a lot to the film.
The film seemed a bit long at times, but it also was frustrating because half the time, you have no idea who to root for. The protagonist/antagonist relationship is constantly shifting. Lauda will do something shitty, making Hunt look like a good guy. Then Hunt does something kinda douchy and make Lauda look like a good guy. It's kind of strange, seeing as there's no firm antagonist despite the fact that the film seems to set one up.
Overall, its a solid movie. It might be one of Ron Howard's better movies, but it's not amazing.

8/10