Actor Chris Hemsworth really is too sexy for his helmet. He can turn anyone into a car-race voyeur. Rush is a pulse-pumping, steamy thrill of a flick. Formula One is already sexy. The film chronicles the 1976 Formula One championship between arch rivals. They are James Hunt (Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl).
Thanks to director Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind) movie-watchers peer through a keyhole view into the complex minds and personal lives of these two racers. Rush also benefits from a tight screenplay, written by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon).
Those taking part in high-risk sports are revered. They are lauded for fearlessness. However, that leaves out other descriptors that may apply: obsessive, adrenalin-chasers on the verge of insanity. And audiences love the intoxicating rush of vicarious thrills.
Check out Rush trailer:
See also: Senna Documentary Review
Senna
Rush brings to mind a riveting documentary: Senna, which uses real-life footage of celebrated F1 driver, Ayrton Senna. These two films feature the same ingredients: true stories of danger, addicting high drama, and complex personalities. Ayerton Senna, like Rush’s James Hunt, experience enormous success. It is easy to glamorize daredevils. But the glory of the highest-highs inevitably crashes.
Director Ron Howard
“If the story weren’t true, nobody would believe it,” says director Ron Howard. The laser focus on winning every race, beating every opponent, is impossible. Yet, at times these record-breaking drivers appear super-human. F1 competitions demand racers to go beyond all physical and emotional limits. The need to win propels them onto a teetering edge of sanity. They reach breaking points.
Hemsworth as Hunt
Drivers Hunt and Lauda understand each other. That’s because they are mirror images of compulsive high-risk behavior. Hunt is the cool cat with charisma —a ladies man living the rockstar life. But Lauda is peculiar. His lack of social skills causes him to present as autistic. Due to his odd way, others find Lauda off-putting and they recoil.
Where Hunt is smooth and cocky, Lauda is brusque and cold. Additionally, his fetish for precision lends itself to self-aggrandizement. He fancies himself superior to all other race-car designers. This becomes apparent when he places his car-design skills above Ferrari.
Hunt and Lauda
Like Olympian champs, Hunt and Lauda live with a myopic mission. Each one is determined to become the best driver in the world. Both have huge egos. That is why neither will be satisfied by anything less than winning every race. Giving a rich slice of 1970s life, Ron Howard describes the years when “sex was safe and driving was dangerous.” Everything leads up to a dramatic finish that won’t disappoint. Olivia Wilde stars as Suzy Miller the long-suffering love of reckless Hunt. Alexandra Maria Lara plays Lauda’s anxious wife Marlene.
Action thriller drama. Rated R. 123 minutes.