Maybe it’s because I’m a guy or maybe it’s because I have a long history with Hot Wheels, but I was bursting with excitement when I first heard Chris Hemsworth is going to play a racecar driver in a movie all about a famous Formula-1 rivalry.
My heart said yes, but my head said to brace for impact, because usually car-centered movies don’t make it past Fast and the Furious level of production. Today I stand before you all, and proudly say, this film rivals Star Trek: Into Darkness for my personal favorite film of 2013. This isn’t a mindless car flick. It has a soul, breathing life and emotion into every scene.Rush is about two polar opposite people striving for the same goal and taking completely different routes to do it.
Chris Hemsworth plays the hot-shot, care-free James Hunt, who sickens at the sight of the brilliant and focused Niki Lauda, played by Daniel Bruhl. To say these gentlemen put up great performances is an understatement. The tension between these two characters is incredible and keeps you drawn in like a magnet. This is definitely a character-driven film. It’s over two hours long, and most of the time is in fact taken up with more dialogue than racing. However, the dialogue is interesting and witty; their personal stories are heart breaking and uplifting. Trying to pick a side between these two characters is like playing a game of Ping-Pong: constantly going back and forth. You see each character show their admirable amount of triumph, as well as an equal level of being a total dirt bag. This clever script turns your attitude toward each character into a bipolar teenage girl.
I will also note the cinematography. Especially in the second half of the film, we get some very memorable and courageous frames that are sure to make you drop your jaw, and violent crashes that constantly reminded me of the passing of Indy Car driver Dan Weldon back in 2011.
Besides the cinematography, I find great strength in the make-up art for this film. Unfortunately, I will not expand on this due to my preference to keep this spoiler free.
The racing itself gives the audience a great sense of speed and excitement, and as a complement to the film, it isn’t even the best part. This applies to the overall narrative of the film: you don’t need to be a racing fan to like this movie.
It’s so well written, that the sport only adds to the suspense and constant sense of danger and insecurity.
The only criticism I have for this movie is maybe a few obvious green screens, but other than that, look forward to seeing Rush mentioned again at the end of the semester when I discuss my favorite films of the year.
