MOVIE REVIEW: RUSH (2013)

Rush is a movie about car racing based on real-life events. If this sounds boring, bear in mind that it sounded boring to me as well. However, The Social Network (about the creation of Facebook) showed me that even the most boring sounding movies can occasionally be awesome. On the other hand, of course, even awesome sounding movies can be quite bland (I am looking at you, 47 Ronin).

Well, Rush is awesome. This movie is based around the Grand Prix series of races in 1976 and the rivalry that developed between two of its leading competitors. James Hunt (played by Thor himself Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (played by Daniel Bruhl) are locked in a rivalry to determine who is the number 1 race car driver. This rivalry also transcends them in that it shows a battle between passion, raw talent and recklessness (represented by Hunt) against professionalism, preparation and cold calculations (represented by Niki) to see which one will come out on top.

Director Ron Howard nailed the tone of this movie. It would have been easy to cast either Niki or James as the outright villain. James could have been shown trying to inject some life into a sport that has become far too clinical, or Niki could’ve been shown trying to prove that being professional can succeed even when you are not born with raw talent. Instead, this movie shows them both as heroes and villains simultaneously. Rush shows what drives each of them to push eachother past their limits instead of going for a simple hero/villain route (except for maybe the final scene), but it never feels like it didn’t have the courage to do this if it wanted.

This decision elevates this film above simply what it appears to be on paper. It is the story of a rivalry where two equals vie to see who is best. When the film shows them racing, it reinforces this point. Although a couple of races are cut short (with a racer retiring with no explanation), the car races are shown to be close, gritty and dangerous affairs. The camerawork is excellent both showing the adrenalin-rush of racing at high speeds and also contrasting Jame’s playboy lifestyle vs Niki’s more sombre life.

Rush is an excellent film and one of my favourite films of 2013. For a film based on Formula One and a couple of their drivers, and based on a true-story, I cannot believe I was riveted by it for 2 hours. Although some of the races felt a bit short and the end may have started to feel a little bit preachy, it just goes to show that you can make an awesome movie out of anything. And yet, even with adding magic, 47 Ronin (also based on a true story) ends up being pretty disappointing.

4.5 laps out of 5 on the waffle-circuit