Rush

Cast of Characters:

James Hunt - Chris Hemsworth

Niki Lauda - Daniel Bruhl

Suzy Miller - Olivia Wilde

Marlene Knaus - Alexandra Maria Lara

Clay Regazzoni - Pierfrancesco Favino

Director - Ron Howard

Screenplay - Peter Morgan

Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language, some disturbing images and brief drug use

      Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl and Olivia Wilde star in Academy Award winning director Ron Howard's Rush, based on the true story of Formula One race car drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda... not the legendary rock trio from Canada.

      In 1970, James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) are race car drivers in the Formula Three circuit. Hunt is young, brash, a ladies man and a bit of a drinker too with a tendency to vomit before every race. Lauda is quite the opposite. He's cool, intelligent and focuses on precision to win a race. A fierce rivalry between them develops after Hunt wins a race Lauda feels he was cheated on. Soon, much to the displeasure of his father which leads to a falling out, Lauda takes out a loan and buys his way into the Formula One circuit. Hunt joins as well. Both get married - Hunt to supermodel Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde) and Lauda to Marlene Knaus (Alexandra Maria Lara) - and it seems they are both well on their way to becoming stars in Formula One racing.

      However, in 1976, a year after winning his first F1 Championship, Lauda's race car malfunctions and crashes violently into an embankment. The crash, which caused the car burst into flames, left Lauda with third degree burns and toxic fumes in his lungs. Despite his horrific injuries, Lauda is determined to make a comeback in F1 racing, particularly after seeing his rival Hunt win the 1976 F1 Championship.

      Director Ron Howard has been hit or miss over the past ten years or so. For every A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, and Frost/Nixon we got, we also would get a The Dilemma, The Da Vinci Code films, The Missing and How the Grinch Stole Christmas... Yes, he did in fact direct that last one. Forgot, didn't you? I'm sure Howard did too. That said, Rush is a welcome return to form for the Oscar winning director. The films presents the viewer with a rivalry that was nowhere near as publicized or marketed as the Magic Johnson/Larry Bird rivalry of the 80's, but in a way, Hunt and Lauda were similar to Johnson and Bird in that they were both gifted race car drivers (and yes, it does take skill to do so), yet had polar opposite personalities. Hunt was the partying showman and Lauda was all business. Both Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl deliver two strong lead performances. Hemsworth shows he is more than capable of putting down the hammer when he needs to (that's not to say I don't love what he brings to the Thor films) and Bruhl gives an award worthy performance that may not result in a nomination, but if I do hear his name mentioned amongst the Best Supporting Actor nominees, I won't be surprised. It's always a challenge playing someone that has endured life threatening injuries without grabbing the viewer's heartstrings and yanking the hell out of them, but Bruhl skips the tugging and just gives a genuinely moving and unforgettable performance. This was the first film I really got a chance to see Bruhl shine. He came out of nowhere for me (although I did go back and watch Inglourious Basterds to see which part he played) and I'm looking forward to what he does next. Olivia Wilde turns in some of her finest work to date as the wife of James Hunt who leaves him for Richard Burton, and Alexandra Maria Lara is equally strong as Lauda's wife. Peter Morgan's smartly written script wisely avoids most of the moving sports drama trappings. If there's anything that could easily wreck a film it's a good old fashioned Lucas or Cool Runnings moment (Yep... it's the dreaded slow build-up applause). Hans Zimmer's score, like always, livens up the film. There are some excellently filmed racing sequences (filmmakers behind Getaway, take note), and Ron Howard's smoothly paced direction reminds us once again why he's an Oscar winning director who has made a number of films worthy of top 10 status. The last few he's done have been anything but that.

      Do you have to be an F1 racing fan to love this movie? Definitely not. I'm not one, but this film still had my attention from beginning to end. It's always great to see a sports movie that's character first, sport second. Here we see what a true rivalry is all about, what in can do to those involved and that no matter how heated, competitive or fierce it can get, both parties realize they need the other to succeed. I give Rush an A- (★★★½).

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