Directed by:
Ron HowardScreenplay:
Peter MorganCinematography:
Anthony Dod MantleComposer:
Hans ZimmerCast:
Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino, David Calder, Natalie Dormer, Stephen Mangan, Christian McKay (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Ron Howard directs this biographical drama chronicling the intense rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) during the 1976 season. Polar opposites both on and off the track, the rancour between dashing, devil-may-care British playboy Hunt and the efficient and cool Austrian Lauda knows no bounds as they battle it out to be the 1976 World Champion. But when a horrifying crash at Germany's Nurburgring leaves Lauda badly burned and scarred, his miraculous return to the track in just six weeks earns the grudging respect of Hunt, in the process setting up a climactic end to the season as both drivers pursue the ultimate prize. (StudioCanal UK)
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Reviews (17)
Morgan is the man. He conceives the sleek façade of roaring engines and their tamers in fire-proof overalls as an epic drama, with passionate dialogue and a sense of fair play playing a central role. We get all this in the perfect coat of Ron Howard's directorial tricks, for whom the task of creating an atmospheric visual composition is as demanding as preparing breakfast in the morning. The editing camera orgy and the riveting acting (Daniel Brühl is eyeing the Oscars) are so sovereign for two hours that it smacks a little of (traditional) "Howardian calculus," which entertains you for two hours but, like gasoline vapor, wears off by the second day at the latest. That it leaves a very strong and specific odor, I do not deny. 4 ½.
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Ron Howard’s perfect craftsmanship with soul and a nice message. The director proves that he knows both his craft and
people. The focus is not on the races but on the characters. The two main characters are diametrically different but
equally respectable madmen. Both embody the archetypes of today’s favorite film heroes – a wild guy who enjoys
parties and women versus a level-headed, introverted and ambitious intellectual. What unites them is adrenaline and
the desire for victory. And a strange form of friendship. They compete while inspiring each other. Thanks to Howard’s
direction, you can enjoy every scene they appear in, whether separately or together. The script is said to contain factual
errors and I missed the first race when Hunt recognized Lauda as a threat. But these are forgivable flaws of a beautifully
rendered film about rivalry with the smell of burning rubber, which you simply cannot dislike. Daniel Brühl delivers one of the best acting performances of the year.
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Ron Howard is evidently good at making biopics. Even if you don’t grow fond of Niki Lauda or James Hunt, there is still the final scene that simply launches everything a mile high. But if you’re naturally open-minded when it comes to good movies, you will definitely appreciate that the actors who portray these two characters exactly pinpoint the meaning of the term rivalry as such. Niki Lauda or James Hunt were no idiots, but they were definitely not normal, either. Whatever was between them was something that is no longer fashionable in sports today. It was mutual hatred that was supported by a great deal of respect for one another. This movie captures this perfectly. I cannot but give it a five-star rating. Niki sure must convince you of that at the end of the movie!
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This is exactly the kind of film you can successfully recommend to everyone. Rush is, a little paradoxically, a terribly safe movie about a terribly unsafe (at the time) sport. The performances and the direction are great, but unfortunately I can’t share the enthusiasm. It didn’t win my heart.
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Formula One racing is among the sports I'm interested in, as long as I see a good story behind it. The story of Niki Lauda (and James Hunt) is like that of course, whose book “My Years with Ferrari" I read several times, and I was always fascinated by Laud's perfectionism and the cold mind, under which of course, the mind must be boiling. And that's exactly the kind of Lauda film Rush showed me. Daniel Brühl looks like his double and pointedly plays on that thin edge of unsympathetic arrogance and sympathetic genius the character needs. Chris Hemsworth is just the same as the young man Hunt. And the film tells their story with different embellishments, but that important “ice versus fire" and that hostile mood is there. In addition, the races are superbly filmed, Zimmer's music fits... And the whole part in the hospital, especially the putting-on of helmets, is so plausible, as if a person was watching a documentary (like the most impressive scenes from Senna).
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