In “Rush,” Oscar-winning helmer Ron Howard returns to the
subject matter that he cut his teeth on as a film director: fast cars. In 1977, Howard made his directorial debut
with the hilarious manhunt comedy “Grand Thief Auto” (1977) for executive
producer Roger Corman about characters careening around in cars. Like “Grand Theft Auto,” “Rush” focuses on
fast cars. Unlike “Grand Theft Auto,”
where amateurs did the driving, skilled professionals are behind the wheels in “Rush.”
Not only do they travel at higher speeds,
but they also tread more treacherous roads.
This polished but predictable saga has to do with the historic rivalry
between Formula One British speedster James Hunt and Austrian automotive genius
Niki Lauda. “Rush” (*** OUT OF ****) spends
most of its leisurely 123 minutes on its protagonists and their clashes rather
than the experience of hurling along European thoroughfares at homicidal speeds
in the equivalent of bobsleds on wheels with rocket fuel . Aussie-born Chris Hemsworth of “Thor” has
been cast appropriately enough as Hunt, while Spanish actor Daniel Brühl
impersonates Niki Lauda. Historically,
Lauda and Hunt jostled each other for the top position during the 1976 Grand
Prix racing season. Ron Howard keeps the
soap opera scenes with the love interests of both racers to a minimum so as to maintain
momentum over the long haul. Consequently,
Olivia Wilde and Alexandra Maria Lara look dazzling but have little to say. Ultimately, these two competitors would come
to realize that their ruthless rivalry enhanced their racetrack performance. An enduring, universal, life-truth lurks beneath
all the scenic cities, challenging racetracks, and the charismatic performers
in “Rush.” In the self-help handbook for
mercenaries and rogues in general, “The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective
Mercenaries” observes: “The world is richer when you turn enemies into friends,
but that's not the same as you being richer.”
“Rush” unfolds in 1976 as our protagonists are poised to
race at the Nurburgring track in Germany.
No sooner has Howard and Morgan established this momentous setting than
they flashback to show how Hunt and Lauda got their respective starts in
Formula 3 racing. Hunt’s father plead
with his son to become a physician.
Lauda’s father had planned to take his son into the family business. Naturally, neither patriarch funds their sons’
racetrack fantasies, and our heroes go out and make things happen for
themselves. Hunt finds a wealthy sponsor
enamored of racing to put him behind the wheel, while Lauda buys his way onto
the Ferrari team. Hunt treats Lauda with
utter contempt and refers to him as a rat. Lauda points out rats possess a highly
developed instinct for survival. Howard
cuts back and forth between these two and creates some palatable suspense as
they chase each other throughout the Grand Prix. Mind you, the suspense doesn’t so much lie in
the actual driving sequences, where speeds of 170 mph is typical, but in their face-to-face
confrontations. Lauda doesn’t race to
defy death as Hunt does. Hunt claims woman
are attracted to him because he lays his life on the line in every race. On the other hand, Lauda races to survive
rather than die. He has a twenty per cent
rule that governs his decision when to race.
Lauda refuses to participate if the chances are greater than twenty per
cent that he may perish. Hunt challenges
Lauda at one point when the Austrian tries to convince his competitors to
cancel the rain-swept Nurburgring track.
Hunt humiliates Lauda for urging them to cancel the race. Eventually, Lauda allows himself to be
brow-beaten into the race with horrendous results. The courage Lauda musters to recover so swiftly
from a nearly fatal accident is inspirational and a testament to his
resilience. Lauda’s car crashes during
the race, and he is badly burnt. Painful
skin grafts and having his lungs vacuumed out ensue, and Lauda watches in
horror from his hospital bed as Hunt makes up for lost time. Hunt’s quick string of victories brings him close
to surpassing Lauda. The rivalry really
kicks in at this point, and life becomes stranger than fiction.
Hemsworth and Brühl resemble their real-life counterparts. If you delay your departure when the end credits
roll, you’ll see the actual Hunt and Lauda. Howard slips under their collective skins with
“Frost/Nixon” scenarist Peter Morgan to explore what drove them. Each racer emerges as complex and three-dimensional. Basically, they are iconoclasts who became heroic
legends. Wisely, Howard and Morgan never
make either one appear more sympathetic than the other. Most Hollywood movies divide and conquer when
it comes to competitors. “Warrior” (2011)
pitted brother against brother, and one triumphed over the other simply because
he generated greater sympathy. Hemsworth
has the more ostentatious role.
Essentially, Hunt was either behind the wheel or in a lady’s boudoir. Comparably, Brühl creates a strong impression as
Niki Lauda. The ascetic Austrian driver
shunned all forms of hedonism. He
constituted the polar opposite of the glib, fun-loving, skirt-chasing Hunt. Lauda was a perfectionist who constantly
devised ways to lighten the weight and improve the performance of his
cars. Unlike the milestone racing movies
“Grand Prix” and “Le Mans,” “Rush doesn’t deal with a single race. Instead, Howard provides a tour of the European
championship racing circuit. Anthony Dod
Mantle's cinematography gives us some vivid glimpses of Formula One racing from
behind the steering wheel. Although we
come to understand how dangerous driving a Formula One car can be, we are
rarely given stretches where the drivers scramble to get beyond each
other. “Rush” contains the equivalent of
a ‘greatest hits’ montage of the various races.
Spectators who don’t follow Formula One specifically or car racing in
general may not know that these drivers harness themselves into the equivalent
of rocket-sleds with jet fuel and roar through the countryside. While speed denotes the winner, skill keeps
the driver on the course. Strong characterization, some narrative surprises,
and scenic locales distinguish this interesting but sedate racing epic.
