2013 was a bumper year for well-made films. One of the best of these is Rush, a biopic which documents the bitter rivalry in the 1970s between Formula 1 racing drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt.
Whether you are a racing fan or not is no matter. Rush is a thrilling drama which captures the stubbornness of men who will settle for nothing less than victory, whatever the odds, whatever the risks.
The hugely differing personas of Lauda and Hunt are perfectly captured through the excellent performances by Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth. And the large array of great supporting actors help paint a vivid picture of the colourful personal and professional lives of these men.
An education for some, adrenalin entertainment for others; Rush is a brilliantly-crafted film which captures its story’s era perfectly.
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You can find more information on this British-German co-production on Wikipedia and IMDb.
As always, we recommend you don’t ruin any surprises by reading spoilers or watching trailers. But if you hate surprises and would rather see the whole of the film’s story laid out for you in under 2 minutes, here you go:
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Title: Rush
Language: English. Also a little bit of German, Italian and French, all with subtitles.
Direction: Ron Howard
Screenplay: Peter Morgan
Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
Editing: Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Score: Hans Zimmer
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino
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Wonderful Cinema 
That’s exactly what my friends said too , that I would love it irrespective of being a racing fan or not. It’s in my to-see list.
Great! I hope you enjoy it. Please return and post your thoughts afterwards, Kundhavai Granger.
I appreciated Ron Howard’s 360 angle approach to cinematography. In the driver seat. In the helmet. Body parts shifting. Rain on tires. Hands flicking a lighter with nervous anxiety It was well made.
Yes, I especially remember how well the rain was filmed and the anxiety around the lighter!
I agree. There are brilliant scenes, that clearly shows how Ron Howard’s masters that adrenaline rush; for example when Lauda (Brühl) step on the gas in the italian’s BMW.
It also demystifies F1’s world at the time, top level athletes, even behind a wheel, have quite tough lives.
I like very much D. Brühl (Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei, Ein Freund von mir, Salvador (Puig Antich), among others); he manages to dress Lauda’s skin with a superb cold verve.
But, different from Frost/Nixon (IMHO Howard’s best), the story gets buried/muddy/lost perhaps ’cause the unevenness of the way it’s bering told and fold. With a pity rush into a very ludicrous end.
That’s how it felt.
All good Shimky ,-)
Many thanks for adding your thoughts.
I only know Brühl from Inglourious Basterds. I’ll look up his films…
I haven’t seen Frost/Nixon yet. It’s been on my list for a long time now!
I’m really not a racing fan but I loved Rush.
Thanks for backing me up, Abbi!!
What Howard does so well here as director is that he’s able to make us root for, and sympathize with both of these guys. Yet, by the same token, realize that they’re both quite troubled and flawed by the way they carry themselves on and out of the racetrack. Good review.
So true, Dan. I hadn’t thought about that aspect.
Great movie and unbelievable story!
I’m glad you also liked the film, Danuta. What a shame about our Robert, eh. :O(
Good review. I really enjoyed this film and liked how it shed a light on a rivalry/friendship I never knew about.
Yes, I knew nothing about their history together, although I know Niki Lauda as an F1 TV pundit. I found the film very interesting; and it does seem to follow real facts closely.
Daniel Brühl went and stayed with Lauda in Austria for a few days to get to know him and his mannerisms better, and to ask him all the questions he had about the character he was to play. Lauda was an advisor on the film. It was actually Lauda who called Brühl and suggested they meet and said, “Just bring hand luggage to Vienna. In case we don’t like each other you can piss off right away.” I laughed a lot when I read in the press what he had said to Brühl! It’s so typical of Lauda; so brutally straight forward.
That’s cool. I can see how that would help give the film a better sense of realism. Thanks!
Glad to see you don’t have to like racing, because I really want to see this film! I think Daniel Brühl is a great actor. Nice review.
Thanks, Dan. Do come back and let us know what you thought of it.
In a word… I think the film would best be described as “solid”
As was your write up… look forward to checking out more
Thanks for this review. I suppose I finally saw it after it received some attention. I read the script first and I thought it was solid, and was curious to see what Howard would do with it. However, when I saw the film it just felt flat, maybe my expectations were just too high. Howard delivers with the details in his visuals but there were parts that just did not work as well. Daniel Brühl was fantastic but I thought Hemsworth was a bit wooden, I just have not seen much range from him. His performance in this film was not much different than playing Thor. If an actor is going to be successful at making me believe in the character, I have to be able to see past some of their other characters.
Hi Jason – and Grey! I can’t comment on Hemsworth’s acting range because this is the first film I’ve seen him in. I thought he was perfect as the blasé playboy racing driver in Rush, though. I believe the consensus among those who knew James Hunt is that it was a pretty good depiction of him.
Hi I wanted to say thank you for following me. I have heard of Ron Howard He made some good movies. I like him when he was playing in Happy Days .He came a long way…
That is hilarious, Judith! I had no idea Ron Howard was Richie Cunningham in Happy Days! You’ve just blown my mind!
My second favorite film of last year. I know nothing about Formula 1 racing except that this was a great movie.
And which was your favourite??
I don’t understand why this film didn’t fare better. Like you said, i’s really thrilling, and the racing sequences are on par if not better than those classic racing car flicks, especially the great Grand Prix. Plus, Chris Hemsworth proves that he’s a lot more than just Thor.
Actually, I thought it was a big hit. Wasn’t it?
Among non-racing fans, F1 has got the reputation of being a complete bore-fest, so it makes sense that people wouldn’t be enthralled about a move on the subject.