By DANNY BUTTLER
Rush (MA)
Starring: Daniel Bruhl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde
“THERE are 25 Formula One drivers in the world. Two of us die every year.”
Rush grabs the viewers’ attention from the opening stanza, with experts saying this may be the best-ever film about motor racing.
At its heart, Rush is the story of the dysfunctional bromance between the legendary Niki Lauda and James Hunt.
They are men as different as two men can be – Hunt the party animal playboy wastrel, and Lauda the fussy, unpopular disciplinarian.
Their characters are played out in the battle on the track where, facing death together, they occasionally find some common ground against the ultimate foe.
It’s a film redolent of the ’70s – mired in the dreadful fashion and general malaise of that horrible decade.
Chris Hemsworth is fine as Hunt, but it’s Daniel Bruhl who steals the show as Lauda. Insights abound into this complex pedant of a man.
A highlight, as expected, are the racing sequences, especially on a wet track.
If you’re a closet hoon, or have some weird fetish for the ’70s, this is the film for you.
– Jason Beck
