Rush (2013)

- This one's got a drive! 

Rush is one of those movies that work so well that it will make someone who is not interested in its basic setting in the motorsports world enjoy this hell of a ride from start to finish.

Those endless moments before the race begins, when the drivers start their screaming engines for the first time, when every one of them is fiercely waiting for the go, when nothing else matters for them and all thoughts are focused exclusively on the situation, this is when the audience in the theater can experience the adrenaline-fueled excitement that racing seems to provide for these maniacs in their cars. Like a sacred ritual, and with a sound that leaves your theater's seats vibrating, the opening of "Rush" lifts the sport in new dimensions and makes it seem bigger than it probably is - at least for most people. The visceral thrill aside some of the magnifying input at the beginning of the film about the drivers and their reckless undertaking of risking their lives every time behind the wheels may seem a little pathetic at first but as we get on, it will seem more and more appropriate as we take a close look at two of them.

Based on true events the film tells the story of Niki Lauda and James Hunt and their rise to the top of Formula One racing in the 1970s. The austrian born Lauda turns to racing early in his life against the will of his parents. Without any support the disciplined guy is working day and night to reach his goal. German actor Daniel Brühl convincingly adapted the dialect in a very well rounded performance.

He has to start off his career from scratch but his driving talent as well as technical expertise soon pay off as he becomes a famous name in some of the more marginal racing series. From the very beginning there is one English competitor giving him a hard time on the circuits. Chris Hemsworth is taking on the role of the tall, blonde womanizer James Hunt. When he is not driving he seems to be more concerned with parties and alcohol. His temper and unreliableness make it hard to find sponsoring for his racing team, or a racing team to work with in the first place. But on a good day with a good car he will do absolutely anything to be the first crossing the finish line. It's some good work by Hemsworth who is best known for blockbuster roles such as 'Thor'. He presents James Hunt not as a superhuman racing star, but as a conflicted soul who just can't stop to search for the kick of battling others going 300 kilometres per hour. Before every race he throws up. It's the compulsive nature of his obsession that is driving him. He shares it with Lauda. The two are constantly competing also in private and in the media. They couldn't be more different unless of course it's about their driving-ego.

We follow Lauda and Hunt through this period of their lives with all sacrifices and succes all the way to the infamous championship of 1976. But the film is not about fast cars. It's not a film about racing, even though those sequences are terrific by themselves. It's not about who is going to win the championship. There is a lot more to win and lose in this game and Lauda and Hunt play it at their limits constantly pushing each other one step further. To underline the film's interest in the characters the filmmaker wisely decided to not take a side for either Lauda or Hunt as a protagonist. They are both treated equally with kind of the same screentime and without a clear hint on who to root for - especially since neither of the two is overly sympathetic. This might be a little irritating at the beginning when we jump back and forth between the two but really pays off towards the end when it is clear that there won't be a formulaic final match to decide over winner and loser. The film is not Hunt versus Lauda, but rather Hunt versus himself and Lauda versus himself. Their rivalry just provides the canvas for a much more profound conflict peaking in an incident I don't wanna spoil, even though Fans will know about it anyway. As so often a real life story can provide real drama that could not have been any better if it was entirely made up. And in the hands of director Ron Howard this became a tense look on extreme people on the edge.

There are a few imbalances in the script, when sometimes we jump rather quickly between the events while resting a little too long with others but all in all the film zips along at a good pace. The only problem that has to be criticized are the female roles who are all pretty underwritten. In particular those attractive but narrow minded young women who one after another fall for the venterous tough guy James Hunt. If you wanna make them a real part in the story and not just window dressing then flesh them out a little better. Even Lauda's wife seems a little neglected even though she probably plays an important part to be the counterpart to this obsession that plays out before her eyes and at her expense. Is she or is she not the guardian angel behind him?

However this flaw isn't enough to catch up with the rest of the film on home stretch. This film is a champ.

TRAILER:

Watch the Trailer for "Rush" on Youtube