Stars Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Alexadra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino, Stephen Mangan, Christian McKay Directed by Ron Howard On the surface, this might be just another racing film. One that takes place in the 1970s, no less. But that's just the framework. The movie deals with the rivalry of two racers, neither of them being hero nor villain, except to each other. A majority of the story takes place between 1970 to 1976, starting with the chance encounter between James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) on a Formula 3 race track. From this first meeting, we can see their conflicting personalities. Even as the movie progresses, we see and learn about their character on and off the track. Hunt is very much the superstar showman (think Tom Cruise in Days Of Thunder) chasing the glory and the life, while the more mechanically minded Lauda is far more serious about how he lives his life, being the utter opposite of Hunt. Their contrasts are exemplified, although while Hunt can be a brash womaniser who seems to enjoy risks on and off the track, there are moments of the human within. And while Lauda often plays it safe, taking calculated risks and shuns the wild life, we also do see that he can cut loose and has a little of the rebel within. While the focus is on these two men, the women in their lives to get short-changed. Olivia Wilde as Suzy Miller (Hunt's wife), flits through her scenes that I could barely recognise her. Alexandra Maria Lara as Marlene has more significance as Lauda's wife. Director Ron Howard has a return to solid form (after The Dilemma) not just capturing the 70s era, but having the movie look like it came from that era. He also draws remarkable performances from his two main stars, with Brühl excelling in his portrayal and narration, while Hemsworth shows that he is capable beyond the genre films he's recognised for so far. Howard's technical skill (as seen in Apollo 13) with the action scenes get a real workout throughout the second half as we observe the 1976 Formula One season, practically racing through the various Races in several countries as Hunt and Lauda compete for points; Lauda to defend the World TItle and Hunt chasing to claim it. A real raw energy drives these scenes, underscored with the excellent music of Hans Zimmer, who revisits some of his electric guitar riffs from Days of Thunder. With a solid pace, excellent performances, thundering action with in-your-face racing scenes and stunts, technical expertise on show from the cinematography and designs to the costumes and make-up (for comparison, we do get some photos at the end of the original Lauda and Hunt), Rush is one of those films that grabs your attention and holds on well.
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