3 1/2 out of 4 stars Let's face it, who gets the pleasure of seeing a bunch of people make left turns around a racetrack full of half-drunk spectators (no offense to the people of New Hampshire)? For me, watching NASCAR or Formula One racing on television can be as excruciating as watching a Michael bay marathon. As for racing movies, they are diamonds in the rough; you have classy, existential films like Two Lane Blacktop or IQ dropping comedies like Talladega Nights. Then, you have Ron Howard's new film, Rush, which made my inhibitions and prejudices regarding professional racing fly out the window at 100 mph as this film is a sexy and exhilarating look at the world of Formula One racing and the six-year long rivalry between two titans of the track; James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl).
In the early Nineteen-Seventies, James Hunt was a fast-living playboy with a lust for life on the track and off the track, who made love to any woman in his grasp- such as his supermodel wife (Olivia Wilde) - as well as made love to his ego. Check out his mile high club encounter as he watches himself in the mirror satisfying his competitive spirit more than his libido. From 1970 to 1976, Hunt locked horns with Austrian racer, Niki Lauda, a reserved and serious driver, who calculated the speed and suspension of his cars with total punctuality and nearly faced death in the Nurburgring Grand Prix when his car was caught on fire leaving him physically scarred for life.
Hunt and Lauda's encounters off the track mature as time progresses; first, name calling and snide comments elevate to Lauda being labeled as scared before his near-death crash in Nurburgring as he tries to talk the racers to cancel the race. When both encounter each other on the track, it is reminiscent of the iconic chariot race in Ben Hur; turbulent, bold, and giving you the feeling that you are riding shotgun in the cars, or as Hunt calls them, "small coffins with high octane energy."
Hemsworth delivers the suaveness and vulnerability of Hunt with class and cockiness, making his performance mirror that of Erroll Flynn mixed with the energy and excess of a rock star. However, it is Brühl's performance as Laura that stands out; his sheer determination and pride in the midst of nearly facing death is astonishing and humorous as he manages not to tower over the flamboyance of Hemsworth's performance. Ron Howard knows how to deliver excitement behind the wheel as he did with his 1976 directorial debut, Grand Theft Auto. The campy energy behind the engine, mixed with the edge-of-your-seat suspense he delivered in Apollo 13, makes Rush a wild and thrilling ride to savor in the midst of the rat race of potential award contending films this season.
