Ron Howard directed the biopic about the two racers’ incredible season and captures it in a thrilling manner. We first meet Hunt and naturally become drawn to him due to his charm and cockiness. He’s good and he knows it. Hemsworth is perfect for the role and runs away with it. Hunt first meets Lauda when they are competing at a race in the lower level Formula 3, and they instantly butt heads and create a rivalry. Hunt is on his way up and is starting to become well known enough to soon make the jump to Formula 1. Only Lauda didn’t have it as easy, as his choice to become a racer was completely rejected by his family. This forces Lauda to take out a loan from the bank and to work his way to the top, with a chip on his shoulder with something to prove to his family that never believed in him.
Slowly but surely, screenwriter Peter Morgan draws us closer to these characters by giving us a brash first look, and then slowly drawing in. Hunt starts out to as the guy who has it all, the racing skills, a model wife, Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde), and a solid race team around him. Lauda is brash and impossible to talk to, focused on nothing but his advancement. His grating personality takes its toll. But soon enough, you will find your self oddly rooting fo the both of them.
What I found interesting was that both characters could be seen as the shared leads of this film. Although it seems that Hunt was pushed on us because of Hemsworth’s American friendly marketability (thanks to Marvel) it’s hard not to see Lauda as an equally important lead, and possibly one that you will grow to see as the secret protagonist all along. This caught me off guard, but in a pleasant way. Morgan’s script shows a dynamic range for both of these characters, letting us decide for ourselves on who we want to root for, as if we were watching the F1 season unfold that year right in front of our eyes.
Hemsworth does everything he needs to bring Hunt’s playboy attitude to life, and does just fine with the role. It’s Daniel Brühl who runs away with the film playing a more finely tuned character. He gives a tremendous performance that becomes elevated in the film’s second half. In it, Lauda becomes tragically burned and injured after a terrible accident in a race that Lauda tried to call off due to inclement weather. It was Hunt who got the room of fellow racers to turn against Lauda, forcing the race on, resulting in Lauda’s accident. This left Hunt to feel directly responsible for causing the accident to Lauda.
Hunt is equally responsible for changing Lauda for the better as well. After the accident, Lauda opens his eyes and becomes more aware and appreciative of the things around him such as his wife Marlene (Alexandra Maria Lara). He doesn’t let the accident stop him, and he actually becomes a better man through it. The same can be said for Hunt who puts aside their differences and ends up gaining much more respect for his old rival. They find out that they were never really rivals, just two men who found ways to motivate each other, giving each other the extra boost that they needed to compete.
Howard is able to balance the intensity of the racing scenes with the emotion of their personal rivalry with equal care and consideration. The film pops with vivid colors and shots. It’s his finest directorial effort in some time, helped by two solid leading performances and a well paced script. We Americans may not be familiar with the F1 racing culture, but we are able to identify with a fine story, and Rush is definitely one of those.
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