RUSH (2013) – The Review

Vroom! Vroom! Time to strap ourselves in and wait for the green light. The multiplex becomes the big racetrack for this weekend’s new formula one, based on true events thrill ride, RUSH. Of all the different pro sports, auto racing lags considerably behind the team competitions like baseball and football. as a movie setting. The 1960’s and early 70’s  may have been its most popular decades with several big films anchored by big movie stars who were also big motor sports fans: James Garner in GRAND PRIX, Paul Newman in WINNING, and Steve McQueen in LE MANS. A couple of big box office draws have indulged their need for speed more recently: Sly Stallone in DRIVEN, Tom Cruise in DAYS OF THUNDER, and a parody with Will Ferrell in TALLEDAGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY along with the CARS films from the Pixar gang. The director of RUSH, Ron Howard, has helmed a sports movie before. CINDERELLA MAN was a boxing bio which focused on the love story of James and Mae Braddock as much as the big bout with Max Baer. And Howard’s got a bit of high-octane gas mixed in his film making blood since his first theatrical feature film was GRAND THEFT AUTO (a sort of follow-up to his drive-in hit that was sold with the ad tag line, “Ronny Howard pops the clutch and tells smokey to EAT MY DUST!”). But this isn’t just about watching the cars overtake each other. RUSH is almost a character study about two very different drivers  many decades ago and how their rivalry propelled the sport to new heights. Let’s go…

Yes, let’s go back, 37 years to be exact. As the film opens Brit James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) are about to compete in the latest race in the Formula 1 circuit in August of 1976. The film then flashes back 5 or 6 years to tell their stories. Hunt is the hard-partying golden boy of racing with a rich sponsor, Lord Hesketh (Christian McKay) and a bright future. That is until Hesketh’s money runs out and Hunt must go out and convince corporate sponsored motor teams that he’ll cut back on the partying and the risky on-track behavior. To that end, he even settles down and marries the glamorous model Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde). Over in Austria Lauda breaks from his powerful, wealthy family in order to pursue his racing dreams. He takes out a huge bank loan and basically buys into a Formula 3 racing team. His engine knowledge and determination don’t win him any fans in the pit crew, but his demands get results and he soon moves up to Formula 1. Like Hunt, he too takes a bride, Marlene (Alexandra Mara Lara) who is able to mellow out the rigid racer. Soon the 1976 circuit becomes a fierce competition between Hunt and Lauda. A horrific accident later turns their intense rivalry into a supportive friendship as their lives take very different paths.

The film is almost equally split among the two actors playing the racing rivals. Hemsworth gives off some the same charm and charisma as Hunt as he’s done playing that burly displaced Asgardian. We can understand the never-ending line of groupies eager to be part of the swingin’ 70’s with this long-haired blond Adonis. But we get a glimpse beyond his busy bedroom. Hunt almost loses that confidence after his rich backer leaves and he must sell himself. And there’s the pain in his eyes as he loses his one great love. The real discovery in RUSH is Hemsworth’s lesser known co-star (I only knew him from INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS). Bruhl plays Lauda with a steely focused intensity. He’s got no time for the booze and babes while there are races to be won, but his dry sense of humor often breaks through (he agrees that he resembles a rodent). These qualities are best shown when Lauda is dealt a cruel blow. The gruesome make-up doesn’t diminish the determination Bruhl projects as Lauda prepares to “get back on the horse”. This also gives strength to the tender scenes between Lauda and his wife Marlene played with grace and patience by the lovely Mara Lara. Wilde looks lovely also  in the retro fashions and does a very good British accent, but she’s not given much to do in this film. Her Suzy really has only a couple of scenes with James, so the marriage seems like a brief sidebar to the story. Happily we get to see footage of the real racers at the film’s end, so that we can better appreciate the superb performances of Hemsworth and Bruhl.

Howard really gets down near the dashboard to give us an extra sense of danger in the racing sequences. We’re right on top of the action as the cars push and zip around each other. There’s also the frantic scenes at the pit stops as the crews seems to barely get out of the way as they sweat to get the cars back in the battle. Of course, the weather adds to that danger element as Howard shows the rain dashing against the drivers (they have to drill holes in their visors!) and turning the track into a wild, unmanageable beast. The different races are identified with crisp on-screen graphics by Howard to help us settle in. They’re all full of breathless excitement, but the off track scenes are just as engaging. Whether it’s the non-stop orgies with team Hunt or the painful recoveries in a lonely hospital room (you’ll never quite think of vacuuming in the same), Howard never lets the film lag. Even if you’ve never had any interest in the racetrack, RUSH will have you riveted by the story of these two unlikely friends. And here’s the flag…

4 Out of 5