Rush (second-pass)
Cert: 15 / 123 mins / Dir. Ron Howard
There 's not really much to add from last time, I'm afraid. Re-watching a film gives me the chance to take my foot off the plot-pedal*1 and have a look around at the scenery, but I'm not an F1 buff, so I couldn't geek out on all the race detail, and while I was alive in the timeframe of the movie, I was a little too young to fully appreciate the nostalgia it offers.
So instead, all I could do was marvel*2 at how solidly the story is told; to the point where I was still gripped for the entire movie, even knowing how it ends. This really is quite a remarkable film, about remarkable people. It doesn't make want to start watching F1, but I'm not convinced it's meant to. If you only go to the cinema once this year, go for this.
Oh, and thanks to the two gentlemen some seats away over to my left who thought it was acceptable to start having a conversation in the middle of the film. Not whispering, actually talking. Not kids, distracted or bored with what they were seeing, actual adult males in their fifties, talking about the film. During the film. I didn't go over and punch them, but only because they'd then have started making even more noise. Unbelievable.
It is.
I did.
It does.
Go to the cinema to see this at the earliest opportunity.
I probably will, yes.
I will.
There isn't.
*1 No driving-based pun intended, I assure you.
*2 And that's not an oblique Thor pun, either.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
The day doesn't come around too often when I find myself with nothing bad to say about a film. Not a thing. From the first frame to the last, this film is absolutely electric, and even an unbeliever like me was hooked. Ron Howard has excelled himself, and tells the story of rivalry on and off the track like few others could. If the guy can get me to enjoy a movie about sport, he must be doing everything right.
The film's greatest strength is that it's about the drivers rather than the cars, and Howard gives us two rivals, makes them both eminently likeable*1, makes them both beautifully flawed, and makes you want them both to win*2. An equal amount of time is spent in the company of Lauda and Hunt, and an equal window given into their personas. We see what victory means to both of them, and exactly how far they're both prepared to push in order to achieve it.
The casting of Chris Hemsworth as Hunt is solid, but it's Daniel Brühl who shines as his arch-rival. Between his superb portrayal and bookending narration from the actual Niki Lauda, we get an insight into his mindset that we sadly can't for Hunt. The supporting cast all enjoy their parts without hamming it up too much, but the other star of the show has to be cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. The race photography is is nothing short of outstanding throughout the film, and Mantle makes a rainy day in Japan look like nothing you've ever seen.
Rush is an absolute triumph. You need to see this film, and you need to see it on a big screen.
It opens in the UK on the 13th of September. Go.
It is.
I did.
It does.
Cinema. As soon as possible.
I will.
I will.
There isn't. Which is understandable.
Why can't the racing on the telly be that interesting?*3
*1 Hey, I liked Lauda. I don't care how logic-obsessed he was, I see that as a strength… *arranges pens into order*
*2 Like I said, I know nothing about F1, so the final result came from the unknown for me. I don't know if you can call spoilers on history, but if you don't already know how the story ends, don't look it up before watching this.
*3 Don't tell me 'it is'. Seriously, don't.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
