The new movie “Rush”, directed by Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), is a visually stunning, cinematically beautiful movie with its unique and interesting camera angels. “Rush” is a true story about two famous racecar drivers, James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) whose rivalry turned them into legends.
These two racers were polar opposites, but shared a mutual respect for each other and actually care for each other in a way that almost made them friends.
Hunt was a hot head playboy who was spontaneous and aggressive on the track. He raced for the thrill of staring death in the face and was most afraid of failure. On the other hand, Lauda is practical, focused, lives to race and is good with the mechanics of the cars.
Starting in the 1970s, their rivalry came to a head in the 1976 Formula One racing season, and took a turn for the worse when they raced on the most dangerous track in the world after it has just rained. Spinning out of control, Lauda was trapped in a searing inferno of eight hundred plus degrees. His accident changed everything including the two racers’ relationships with each other. Because of his accident, that was the last race held on that dangerous track.
This is not just a story about racing legends but about friendship, fear and rivalry. It tells the story of two fascinating and funny guys who pushed each other beyond their limits. Their story is so remarkable that no one would believe it if it were not true. Forty-two days after the accident, Lauda raced again against Hunt, and he claims that Hunt pushed him to get back in the car by winning all the races that Lauda missed.
The angles of the camera put the audience right in the middle of the action, and it made the emotions more real for the viewers. Everything came together perfectly to make this movie work the way it did to tell the story of two racers whose courage inspired millions. The accident scene was heart poundingly intense even though the audience was aware what was coming. Some of the scenes, especially of the accidents, were very graphic. Lauda’s recovery was no easy task, but they showed that with great detail as well.
Both actors were equally good in their roles and captured who these men where through their dedication to the roles.
A lot of delicate care was taken when making this movie. The producers actually pulled in the real Niki Lauda to help write the script, and he spent a lot of time with Bruhl. Unfortunately, James Hunt died when he was forty-two. Bruhl nailed the accent of Lauda and his personality shown through. This movie was a great challenge for Hemsworth who is known for playing the hero, but in this one he played a desperate man who wanted to continue living his dream of racing, which was a pretty emotional role for him.
After see the movie, the real Lauda said that the movie was very accurate and that it was like being transported back to that time and place. When it came to the accident scene, they filmed on the exact track and spot of the accident. With all the beautiful cinematography and inspiring true story line, I have to give this movie four and a half stars. I highly recommend this movie for everyone and not just racing fans.
