Rush (Ron Howard)

Frank Bullitt

Centers around Nikki Lauda and James Hunts battle in F1.

I'm a huge F1 fan so this obviously appeals to me, but I think it may well appeal to the laymen or casual film goer. Also a big fan of Ron Howard so all the better.

ScrubsfanChris

It seems like they were making this film for ages.
I remember Ron Howard saying they already were filming, this was at the 2010 Monaco GP taking to BBC about it.

Happy there is now a release date....

pixelburp

The attention to detail is really impressive; and I'm very surprised all the cars are genuine, I would have presumed they were simply fake bodies put onto some modern chasis (one would think that'd be cheaper than hiring the real ones from their owners). I hope most of the actual racing will be on-track & they don't pad it out with CGI; when it comes to car chases & vehicular action, there's no substitute for the real thing. The video makes it look like it'll be staged racing on a real track so fingers crossed that'll be the case (what track is that btw?)

My only complaint would be Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt; he doesn't have much of a likeness & going by his performance in Thor, his British accent isn't exactly a strong point.

pixelburp

pixelburp wrote: »

My only complaint would be Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt; he doesn't have much of a likeness & going by his performance in Thor, his British accent isn't exactly a strong point.

Far as I'm concerned a good performance is far more important than looking like the character you play. There's nothing worse than getting an actor simply because they resemble the figure they are playing. As for Hemsworth accent, bit unfair to judge him based on Thor. He wasn't playing a British character so I don't see why you can use it to say the accent isn't his strong point.

pixelburp

Deleted User wrote: »

Far as I'm concerned a good performance is far more important than looking like the character you play. There's nothing worse than getting an actor simply because they resemble the figure they are playing. As for Hemsworth accent, bit unfair to judge him based on Thor. He wasn't playing a British character so I don't see why you can use it to say the accent isn't his strong point.

Thor isn't British, but Hemsworth definitely played him as one, with a very pronounced accent. I was only semi-joking anyway, Thors affected, stagy voice was likely intentional & I'm guessing was to play along with the mock Shakespearean setting of Asgard. I hope. Hemsworth wouldn't been my pick to play Hunt - hell I think he's too heavily built to be a F1 driver hehe - but we'll see how the film transpires.

losthorizon

Looking forward to this. I doubt if it can top Senna which was one of the best films in the year it came out. James Hunt and Niki Lauda were two disparate characters and I hope this comes out in the film. I time when motor racing was dangerous and sex was safe.

Heres James co-commentating on the BBC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khA67-r5lSQ

WoollyRedHat

Visually, from this offering it looks amazing.

mike65

There are so many things that could go wrong with a film like this, first there's an American behind the lens and they tend not to get F1 preferring the double cheese burger of NASCAR, yes John (Grand Prix) Frankenheimer was a yank but also the most European of American directors I'd say. The period detail will have to be bang on cos if its not the screams from aficionados will be heard on other planets. Will they be able to replicate the Dutch circuit at Zandvoort for example which Hunt won at that year? Or will they just drop in archive footage noting the victory at that track and zip on the the next set piece - Laudas return at Monza? CGI so often sucks but I guess this is exactly the kind of film where its really needed to replicate the era.

pixelburp

Definitely a trailer that needs a HD version, because if nothing else it looks fantastic; the CGI work seems to be subtle and not overblown (though I suspect the crashes are computer-generated). The off-track scenes looks like it could be interesting too - Lauda's story in itself is certainly something out of a movie anyway, so it lends itself nicely to the drama - but it'll be the racing itself that most interests me.

johnny_ultimate

Always be cautious of a Ron Howard film - while he's made a few passable efforts over the years, he's also been responsible for many of Hollywood's most mediocre 'prestige' offerings. Certainly a name that rarely fills me with untempered optimism.

pixelburp

To be fair, 1970s Formula1 is almost tailor-made for the movies - it automatically comes with real-life heroes & villains, rivalries, glamour, daredevil racing & danger, insane technology that made it more like a futuristic wacky races than a precision sport (F1 cars with 6 wheels, the developmental era for aerodynamics, turbo-charged engines, cars with hovercraft fans to suck them to the ground), then throw in all the personal tragedies and fatalities that happened during that era and in many respects it would take more effort to screw this up than to succeed.

Howard has had misses sure, but his stronger work has revolved around true stories (Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon) and he's a more competent director than most; hell, I think he gets an unfair bashing from some quarters. I also believe he's a fan of F1, if so the film is in decent enough hands.

Frank Bullitt

As mentioned above, this era of F1 is effectively a movie in itself.

Hunt was an insanely fast driver and lived life just as fast off the track, Raikkonen tries to live by his way of doing things.

I live in hope that this will be a decent watch.

johnny_ultimate

pixelburp wrote: »

Howard has had misses sure, but his stronger work has revolved around true stories (Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon) and he's a more competent director than most; hell, I think he gets an unfair bashing from some quarters. I also believe he's a fan of F1, if so the film is in decent enough hands.

I think you've identified what I don't particularly like about him there. Sometimes, he's gifted with strong material and sometimes he really isn't (his last film was The Dilemma!). At best he does a perfectly competent job working with a strong script and cast. He doesn't get in the way. I like Frost / Nixon, for example, but most of what makes that compelling is based on the source material and dominating performances. As a director his name rarely fills me with confidence, as I've learned that he's pretty incapable of truly great things - a workmanlike director whose work is made or broken depending on the stuff he's working with. A competent director, nothing more, sometimes less.

I'm no F1 expert, and indeed don't have a hell of a lot of interest in the topic, but if the story behind this is strong it could be solid. Given the double-whammy of Angels & Demons and The Dilemma, he's surely due a break!

Marty McFly

HD Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aphGbb07xk8

Have to say I like the look of it, although some parts of it do look to have some very dodgy CGI. Im a fan of Formula 1 but with not a massive amount of knowledge on the history of it so for me this film will be an instant draw.

pixelburp

Yet another trailer has come out, this time focusing more on Hunts notorious playboy antics, with Lauda the interloper. I still think Hemsworth's accent is unconvincing, but I'm pretty excited to watch this; the period detail continues to impress. It'll be very interesting to see how many liberties are taken with reality, because there really shouldn't be any need to. In any case, it's due out on September 27th in the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKAr42gxjhM

mike65

That's a reasonable approximation of Hunt - you don't need an impersonation - you need an impression.

Sleepy

I'm looking forward to this but I'm really surprised at the casting of Hemsworth, he seems seriously over-sized for an F1 driver!

mike65

James Hunt was just about the biggest driver in F1 for his era - 6'1"

doubledown

This opens today in the UK and Ireland. I was at a screening of it a couple of weeks ago and LOVED it.

Here's my review -


To say that the portrayal of motorsport in film to date has been patchy is an understatement. There have been the good (Grand Prix, Le Mans, Days of Thunder – yes, I like it) the bad (Bobby Deerfield) and the downright ugly (Driven). It is a difficult sport to translate onto the silver screen, compounded by the fact that people who don’t like motor racing tend to stay away from these films in droves. (I’m not counting the Fast and the Furious franchise, by the way.)

But that all changed in 2011 with the release of Asif Kapadia’s stunning film, Senna. It was a massive critical and commercial success and managed to appeal to both F1 fans and non-fans alike. It proved that if you have a compelling story to tell with engaging characters then you have the makings of a great film that can transcend interest in an individual sport. AND…it was a documentary to boot.

So along comes Ron Howard’s Rush, which tells the dramatic true story of the 1976 Formula One title fight between the handsome, flamboyant British driver, James Hunt and the meticulous, no-nonsense Austrian, Niki Lauda (who was cruelly nicknamed “The Rat” due to his appearance). The two men were bitter rivals on and off the circuit and this action-packed, dramatic season marked the very pinnacle of their conflict. James Hunt himself once remarked of the nail-biting 1976 season – “You couldn’t make this up!” And it makes for a compelling story.

The film starts with the cars lining up on the grid for the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, one of the most dangerous circuits in the world. But once the race begins we flash back to an earlier time when both men were starting to make their way in the world of motor racing. We spend time with each driver as they fight their way through Formula 3, meet their respective partners, make the leap into F1 and forge their rivalry. It’s an effective device as by the time we find ourselves back on the starting grid of the German Grand Prix again, we feel as if we know the two men behind behind the visors and, more importantly, we care about them. The two men were polar opposites of one another but were both equally driven by a mutual desire to beat one another on the track.

Many of the key races and defining moments of the season are faithfully recreated. Ron Howard has done an incredible job of putting the audience right in the middle of the furious action. The racing scenes are frenetic but easy to follow, which is a rare thing these days. Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle has given the film a very stark, 1970s look. Another admirable thing about the movie is the minimal use of CG to achieve the on-track spectacle. Howard spent a lot of time shooting real F1 cars at real racing circuits with precision drivers at the wheel, recreating classic overtakes and daring maneuvers. The film also seamlessly blends real racing footage from the era to flesh out the action. And it often reminds us that these men raced at a time when drivers frequently lost their lives in the pursuit of glory. Composer Hans Zimmer does a great job as always with an understated, and frequently moving, score.

But the real triumph of Rush, however, is the casting of the two lead roles. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) were born to play James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

Hemsworth arguably has the easier job of the two. He gets to have all the fun playing the hard-drinking, womanizing, flamboyant, playboy racing driver. But he also manages to convincingly capture Hunt’s darker moments too (of which he had plenty it seems).

But the real revelation here is Daniel Brühl as Niki Lauda. I simply don’t have enough superlatives to describe his performance. He simply IS Lauda. Anyone with even a passing interest in Formula One will know that Lauda is still a familiar face around the paddock and he is often interviewed at race meetings. I have seen him on my television screen many times and have heard him speak often and Brühl just NAILS it. It is truly astonishing. And to see what Lauda went through in the wake of his horrific accident has given me a newfound respect for the man.

I was a little worried about half an hour into the film that maybe audiences wouldn’t like EITHER of the two protagonists as they are both quite unlikeable in their own way. But trust me, by the end of the film you’ll be rooting for one (or maybe even both) of them.

The supporting cast do a good job too but make no mistake, this film belongs to Hemsworth and Brühl…equally. If there is any justice in this world one or both of the actors will at the very least be nominated for their performances. They are simply stunning. And the very brave decision to use some real-life archive of Hunt and Lauda at the very end of the film further justifies the decision to cast these two actors. It was a risky decision and could have shattered the illusion but it isn’t jarring at all. It just serves to remind us that Hunt and Lauda were real people and it also further illustrates what a great job Hemsworth and Brühl have done in their respective roles.

As a big Formula One fan I was a little bit nervous going to see Rush as I was afraid it would just be a trite “Hollywood” version of F1. Nobody likes to see their favourite sport misrepresented in any medium, especially cinema. But F1 nuts need not worry – Howard and his team have really done their homework. After seeing the film I even went on to YouTube to see some of the incidents portrayed in the movie and they got it absolutely spot-on. Of course there is a little bit of dramatic license taken here and there but there is a lot of story to cram into two hours so the occasional shortcut is forgivable.
I would also strongly advise that if you are not a fan of F1 or you are not familiar with the outcome of the 1976 season, then do yourself a favour and don’t look it up before you see this film. It will make for an even more rewarding experience.

I really hope Rush is a success. It deserves to be as it’s a cracking film with a compelling story to tell and it contains two incredible central performances. And it will hopefully open the gates for more quality motor racing films in the future. Unmissable.

Sleepy

Delighted to hear good things about this one, I'm looking forward to it!

Psychedelic

Looks like a ripoff of Senna. "Senna was successful, so let's do the exact same thing but instead of a documentary make it into a movie with cheesy, eye-rolling cliches and a predictable, boring romantic sub plot", basically.

Maybe I'm being unfair writing it off without seeing it but Howard's back catalogue and the fact that Senna is so similar doesn't give much hope for this film.

Pepe LeFrits

Reviews look promising so far.

Psychedelic

Psychedelic wrote: »

Looks like a ripoff of Senna. "Senna was successful, so let's do the exact same thing but instead of a documentary make it into a movie with cheesy, eye-rolling cliches and a predictable, boring romantic sub plot", basically.

Maybe I'm being unfair writing it off without seeing it but Howard's back catalogue and the fact that Senna is so similar doesn't give much hope for this film.

It was in development well before Senna came out.

phasers

Psychedelic wrote: »

Looks like a ripoff of Senna. "Senna was successful, so let's do the exact same thing but instead of a documentary make it into a movie with cheesy, eye-rolling cliches and a predictable, boring romantic sub plot", basically.

Maybe I'm being unfair writing it off without seeing it but Howard's back catalogue and the fact that Senna is so similar doesn't give much hope for this film.

So basically it is nothing like Senna apart from both movies being about Formula 1?

krudler

Psychedelic wrote: »

Looks like a ripoff of Senna. "Senna was successful, so let's do the exact same thing but instead of a documentary make it into a movie with cheesy, eye-rolling cliches and a predictable, boring romantic sub plot", basically.

Maybe I'm being unfair writing it off without seeing it but Howard's back catalogue and the fact that Senna is so similar doesn't give much hope for this film.

you do realise James Hunt and Niki Lauda were real people right? this isn't some makey uppy tale set in F1 it was a real rivalry.

Psychedelic

Deleted User wrote: »

It was in development well before Senna came out.

Fair enough, I should've checked that out before I posted, assumed it only went into production after Senna.

phasers wrote: »

So basically it is nothing like Senna apart from both movies being about Formula 1?

It's about the fierce rivalry between two F1 drivers - sounds exactly like Senna to me.

krudler wrote: »

you do realise James Hunt and Niki Lauda were real people right? this isn't some makey uppy tale set in F1 it was a real rivalry.

Yeah I knew that, but even though it's based on a true story, it's still a movie so it will probably end up like a makey uppy Hollwood version.

Okay I'll just admit I think this will be crap based on my initial gut feelings that this was a shameless ripoff and knowing nothing beyond what I saw in the trailer.

krudler

but aside from the fact it's set in F1 how is it a ripoff of Senna? that was a documentary about a similar subject, that's it.

Psychedelic

Psychedelic wrote: »

Yeah I knew that, but even though it's based on a true story, it's still a movie so it will probably end up like a makey uppy Hollwood version.

Okay I'll just admit I think this will be crap based on my initial gut feelings that this was a shameless ripoff and knowing nothing beyond what I saw in the trailer.

Look up what actually happened when the film is set, it's all very Hollywood.

Pepe LeFrits

Saw it tonight, really enjoyed it. Solid performances all round (Olivia Wilde's English accent was particularly noteworthy after hearing Jodie Foster's last week), great driving, good story and a poignant ending. Thumbs up from me.

Jawgap

Saw it last night and defo worth a watch.

They necessarily had to compress certain events and exaggerate aspects of the characters relationship to drive (:D) the story, but it doesn't suffer for it, and the last few minutes round things out nicely.

As for its portrayal of F1 - it's a bit simplistic, but I think this might be down to the fact that F1 popularity in the US declined significantly over the last few decades so some explanation to make the film accessible to non-fans there (and elsewhere) was required.

In short - watched it, enjoyed it and will definitely go out of my way to watch it again on the small screen.

Incidentally, Mrs Jawgap really enjoyed it, which is saying something as she only went to see it as it because its my birthday this weekend!

Myrddin

Psychedelic wrote: »

Maybe I'm being unfair writing it off without seeing

That's exactly what you're doing though

Silver-Tiger

I thought it was fantastic. The sound in the cinema was deafening. Wouldn't work as well on your couch imo. Daniel Brühl with a standout performance for me.

jozi

I came away thinking these two guys hated each other but that they still had some sort of connection because of the accident. But, after reading up on both drivers I found out they were actually friends and even lived together at one point. Did I miss something in the movie or was this just not portrait at all?

Thoroughly enjoyed it though and I'll agree about the sound, it was good and loud!

pixelburp

I can only add to the generally high praise this has been receiving; while yes all the characters are painted in broad strokes - perhaps to the point of caricature at times (Lauda comes off the worst in that respect) - it cannot be denied that they're no less compelling for being written as they are. But this is a film set during what was arguably the most excessive and glamorous period of an already showy & decadent sport - is narrative and character subtly a legitimate request here? I think not; James Hunt and Niki Lauda were not normal, rational human beings and the movie constantly reminds us of this.

That said, it's not an alienating film either; I doubt there's a better compliment I can give to any sports movie that you don't need to know the sport, or even the back-story of these two drivers, to appreciate the film and the story it's trying to tell.

It's also a frankly gorgeous looking movie in places - the period detail is spot on, but the on-track shots are so lovingly created, 6-wheeled Tyrells n' all, it puts things like Top Gear to shame. If I had one complaint, some of the race scenes seemed a bit tame; the race at Fuji was the most dramatic, but the rest felt a little pedestrian in places, lacking the white-knuckle adrenaline and sense of speed /danger that was constantly echoed in the speechifying about how close to death the drivers constantly were.

krudler

Really, really enjoyed this. Bruhl gives a fantastic performance, Olivia Wilde is stunning looking in it and Hemsworth looks like he's having a ball playing Hunt. The racing scenes are really well shot, Ron Howard wouldn't be someone I'd immediately associate with thrilling visuals but this is one gorgeous looking film, especially the in cockpit car shots and even in the drivers helmets. It has a lovely 70's vibe to the look too, everything is grainy and washed out and is all the better for it.

tunguska

Saw this saturday night and I really enjoyed it, seemed to get better and better as it went along, which is a rare thing indeed. Helmsworth is great as Hunt who on the surface of it is the more appealing character but as the film wore on I found that it was Lauda who was the deeper and more interesting person. Hunt's hedonistic life was infamous but there seemed to be this air of desperation about it, like he was looking for answers at the bottom of a bottle.
Whereas Lauda seemed to be the stronger more together character. I mean Hunt won the championship once and then proceeded to go on a legendary bender that went on and on. Whereas Lauda gathered himself again after that loss in japan and went on to win the world championship the following year(1977) and then again in 1984. And then theres the argument that Hunt's win in '76 was tainted by the fact that lauda missed 2 races(which hunt won) due to his horrific injuries.
All in all a great film and Daniels Bruhl deserves an oscar nomination for his turn as Lauda.

johnny_ultimate

Thought it was entertaining but a good distance from being spectacular. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't bored or anything, it moved along at a compelling, steady pace. But at the same time it felt a tad flat. Mostly, just felt the script and direction felt mechanical - a lazy voiceover here, an overly condescending music cue there all accumulating. Even allowing for the inherent excess and melodrama of the setting, it was disappointingly straightforward stuff for the most part, and could have trusted the audience a little more - no emotional grey here. Even visually I didn't think it took off - the moody colour scheme worked well, and the Japanese Grand Prix finally got that smokey, intense F1 feel down. But outside that it didn't leap off the screen IMO - looked perfectly serviceable rather than remarkable.

That said, I did appreciate how they kept a sort of objective distance from the characters, perfectly happy to paint them in an unflattering light. Bruhl and Hemsworth were both very good, and while I think the script sometimes let it down by simplifying matters far too much, for the most part they made for a pair of compelling protagonists. Even when Morgan reduced them to mere archetypes, the two actors were clearly giving it their all, so fair play to 'em. It's for that reason they really didn't need things like the opening and closing epilogues - the actors could surely have managed to portray those emotions on their own terms without a narration guiding us through. Poor Olivia Wilde, though - granted so very, very little to work with.

tunguska

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

an overly condescending music cue there all accumulating

Yeah that was a big flaw for me. The soundtrack is good (I mean its the 70s the soundtrack couldnt be bad) but the score was pants. Really felt like it could've been a little more subtle and less generic.

fryup

Great movie, pasted 2 hours nicely...........F1 seemed far more dangerous but far more interesting back then

just one thing Daniel Brühl accent seemed to waver from german to dutch from time to time

pixelburp

Btw, for anyone curious to learn more about the Lauda/Hunt rivalry as it happened, BBC2 are screening the documentary "Hunt vs Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals" at 7pm tonight. Should be worth a watch...

losthorizon

fryup wrote: »

Great movie, pasted 2 hours nicely...........F1 seemed far more dangerous but far more interesting back then

just one thing Daniel Brühl accent seemed to waver from german to dutch from time to time

Now if anyone knows a German sorry Austrian accent surely its a German!

ravishk

Having watched Rush recently, I'd have to say that it is a thoroughly enjoyable movie to watch. One shouldn't miss viewing it on the big screen.

fryup

^^^^^^^^^^^^

definitely one for the big screen

Cookie_Monster

Great film, though if you'll excuse the pun it did feel a little 'rushed' in places, could easily have taken another 30 mins

fryup

i say one thing for Nikki Lauda he may have been a dry balls but he had the nicer looking wife

Alfred Borden

Just saw the film and knew very little of the story beforehand. Best film of the year for me hands down, definitely should be in contention for the Oscars. Loved seeing the different perspectives of each driver and how we all can get to like both characters although they are so contrasting.

Irish Aris

Raf32 wrote: »

Just saw the film and knew very little of the story beforehand. Best film of the year for me hands down, definitely should be in contention for the Oscars. Loved seeing the different perspectives of each driver and how we all can get to like both characters although they are so contrasting.

I second that - Best film I've seen so far this year.
Really impressed with Daniel Brühl. I have seen in a few German films in the past and always thought he is a great actor, I found his performance here amazing.

krudler

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Great film, though if you'll excuse the pun it did feel a little 'rushed' in places, could easily have taken another 30 mins

It's one of the few films I've seen recently I thought could have done with more time, maybe a bit more of the races or

Lauda's recovery instead of it being done montage style.

pixelburp

I dunno who watched the BBC2 doc in the end, but it highlighted not only how accurate the period detail was (right down the same teams, backmarkers and passing moves Hunt/Lauda would have made during specific races), but even some shots from the film were recreations, lifted straight from the old TV footage. It was impressive stuff. That said, listening to Hunt talk just highlighted how poor Hemsworth's plummy 'posh' accent was.

krudler wrote: »

It's one of the few films I've seen recently I thought could have done with more time, maybe a bit more of the races or

Lauda's recovery instead of it being done montage style.

Ha, does it constitute a spoiler when it's based on real life events; what's the policy here really?

Lauda's time in the hospital

was a tricky moment to juggle the emphasis, because over the course of the season it was a passing moment really:

he only spent 40-odd days in hospital, so I think it would have been a mistake to spend too much time there. If I had a complaint, it was that having returned to racing, the film brushed past the psychological repercussions for Lauda a bit too breezily.

krudler

pixelburp wrote: »

Ha, does it constitute a spoiler when it's based on real life events; what's the policy here really?

Lauda's time in the hospital

was a tricky moment to juggle the emphasis, because over the course of the season it was a passing moment really:

he only spent 40-odd days in hospital, so I think it would have been a mistake to spend too much time there. If I had a complaint, it was that having returned to racing, the film brushed past the psychological repercussions for Lauda a bit too breezily.

Ah just in case really, I'm not an F1 fan so only knew about the basic rivalry but not the specifics of the season.

That scene where Lauda

has his lungs vacuumed was hard to watch

Bugatti

Have to agree with those who say this is the best movie of 2013. I particularly liked the use of original footage. And great that the movie kept as close as possible to the actual event for 1976.