Rush

Hot Wheels

Ah, the sport’s drama, that old stalwart of inspirational cinema. The genre that gives voice to the no-hopers, contenders and champions; chronicling the journeys of competitive individuals bound together by a common struggle to become ‘something more’ within the meritocratic microcosms of their chosen disciplines.

Though these films almost always feature a rousing script and adhere to standard allegorical overtones, e.g: ‘triumph despite overwhelming odds’, or ‘winning isn’t everything and losing can even make you a better person you know’, they are generally successful as unpretentious tales that celebrate the enduring nature of the human spirit: we’re talking Rocky, we’re talking Chariots of Fire and heck yes we’re talking Cool Runnings.

Into this arena zooms Rush – a fast paced, fun and thought provoking look into the hot-headed world of  1970’s Formula 1 racing and one of the best examples in recent years of the sport’s drama done right.

Marking a return to the form of Apollo 13 after the rather tepid Da Vinci Code saga, director Ron Howard’s latest is another based-on-true-events story, charting the real life rivalry between two prolific drivers of Formula 1’s golden era, Britain’s James Hunt and Austrian Nikki Lauda. Don’t be deterred if you aren’t a fan of F1 however, because even a complete stranger to the ‘sport’ can still find Rush a fantastic, riveting watch thanks to Howard’s heavy investment in the development of his characters and two outstanding performances from lead actors Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl.
Though the infamous clash of heads is very much at the centre of the film, Hunt and Lauda’s rivalry is largely glossed over in the first act and left to bubble away in the background as the plot charts their divergent paths after initial spats in Formula 3. With their stories playing out separately, the film oscillates between the alternate perspectives, highlighting the characters’ contrasting personalities and differing approaches both on and off the track.

Hunt, played by the twinkle-eyed Chris Hemsworth, is charming, witty and very much a freewheeling spirit; a poster boy bonk machine whose excessive wild child lifestyle doesn’t seem to adversely affect, but rather enhance his natural talent behind the wheel. Best known for his portrayal of Thor, Hemsworth is somewhat used to playing the rebel type and is clearly relishing the chance to do so again here, in arguably his most comprehensive role to date, without having to wear a silly cape or talk about frost giants.

As chalk to Hunt’s cheese Lauda- played by Daniel Bruhl complete with buck tooth prosthetics- possesses a brilliant intuitive mechanical mind, but is blunt, prickly and antisocial; a man who doesn’t so much have a chip on his shoulder as the whole bag of potatoes. His unremarkable stature is a constant source of gripe, being the focus of early snide comments from Hunt and even causing his future wife Marlene (Alexandra Maria Lara) to poo-poo claims he is a world champion driver upon their initial meeting. Like Hemsworth, Bruhl is excellent, seething with a nervous energy and expertly portraying Lauda as a fractious individual who doesn’t seem to care that he continually gives off the wrong impression or that his obstinate attitude alienates everyone around him.

Though it occupies more or less the entire first half of the movie, Rush is at its most enjoyable when fully engaged in this intriguing double sided character study. As the story progresses it becomes clear that Howard is trying to avoid typical protagonist/antagonist labels however, presenting both men as complex individuals complete with as many foibles as fortes. Instead of simply having a hero to cheer and a villain to hiss, we are given the unusual space to decide who we will rally behind, which beefs up our investment in the rivalry and the film as a whole.

Beneath Hunt’s dashing smile and devil may care antics there is a vulnerability to his character, which is made explicit when we see him go racing cold turkey after the sponsorship funding for his team runs dry. Denied ‘the drive’, Hunt becomes a smoked out alcoholic wreck confined to his apartment playing scalextric and cruelly rebuking his wife whenever she shows concern (all the more despicable behaviour when she’s the rather lovely Olivia Wilde). Despite his popularity, charisma and joie de vivre, this is all too obviously a man dangerously addicted to the elevated experience of racing who doesn’t know how to live life below 200mph or deal with the collateral damage such an existence creates in its wake.

Conversely, preventing Lauda from becoming just another cardboard cut-out enemy, the way he gives as good as he gets (he is unafraid to call Hunt an ‘asshole’ when everyone else seems to be swooning over the Brit), backing up his immodest claims of being the better driver with outstanding ability on the track, makes the character strangely endearing.

Indeed, it is Lauda who is more likely to be sitting in pole position in the sympathy stakes by the time the stories converge for the big-league races of the 1976 Grand Prix; particularly after some tenderly frank exchanges with Marlene, who slowly begins to convince her husband of the folly of putting all his eggs in one metal, 450 horse-powered basket.

Hang on I hear you cry- isn’t this a movie about racing? Where’s the action? It’s true that there are a lot of scenes in Rush where characters do little else other than stand around talking, and up until the later part of the film any racing segments come in spits and spurts. Whenever pedals are put to the metal though, the experience is nothing short of edge-of-your-seat thrilling.

This is largely down to how Howard plonks his camera in every conceivable nook and cranny of the growling, souped-up machines, giving us an exhilarating (if very noisy) up close and personal view of the sheer blinding speed of F1. In fact, it would be fair to say that watching Rush is just about the closest experience to riding in a Formula 1 car, aside from sitting behind the actual wheel, that you can get. It’s that good.

Towards the final stretch Rush does come close to running out of juice, as the overall and slightly clichéd message of the film (winning in the race of life trumps any podium finish) becomes apparent. Howard deftly avoids backing things into a corner however, handling Lauda’s famous near-death crash and subsequent torturous recuperation with emotional restraint, resolving his history with Hunt without over-elaborating beyond their final tussle on the tarmac. In doing so the director keeps the conclusion contained, but ultimately pleasing and in tandem with the rest of the film’s streamline, upbeat tone.

In the end, though Rush is basically about egoistic boys and their toys, Howard has finely tuned his work, impressively transcending the rather marmite appeal of F1 by offering a captivating human story that manages to tweak the old sports drama tropes and say something genuinely compelling about the fast and furious nature of competitive racing.

Buckle up and take this one for a spin.