‘Rush’ delivers full-throttle action, high-minded drama

Ron Howard’s Rush redefines the racing-car movie with in-depth characterizations and powerful performances. The story of James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl in an Oscar-worthy performance) seems readymade for Hollywood, and yet Rush never falls into the easy traps of sports melodrama. Sure, there are a few big races where everything is at stake, but before watching these pulsating Formula 1 races, we get to know Hunt, Lauda and their rivalrous obsession with each other. It’s only because we have this thrilling backstory that the final races seem so important.

Hunt and Lauda shared an excellence on the racecourse, but out of the car, they were opposites. Hunt was the ladies man, a magnet for adoring women, champagne toasts and a rollicking lifestyle. Lauda was a child of privilege who took to racing, in part, to prove that he had the chops to escape the family’s shadow. They both were naturals at Formula 1 racing, trading championships and accolades back and forth. Around their competitions, the media took hold of their rivalry and played up each race like an Olympic event. As they were trying to outpace each other, fans fell for this high-stakes sport.

Rush does not feel like a Howard film, and that’s an enormous compliment. The Academy Award-winning director has done sweeping epics like Apollo 13 and thoughtful character studies like A Beautiful Mind. He’s done global adventures like The Da Vinci Code and also tripped up a few times in his career (How the Grinch Stole Christmas). If anything, Rush feels like his superlative Cinderella Man; they’re two sports movies sticking to the conventions of the genre but enticing viewers by finely focusing on character rather than plot.

The look of the film is subtle but effective. The lens has a washed-out quality, retaining its archival feel. I had the image of watching an 8mm film and having splashy special effects cross over from sepia to color.

If the film falls short of perfection it’s only because of its finale. A sports movie needs to end with the inevitable, and Rush is no different. In the final third of the film, the inevitability can almost suffocate the plot and pull the spotlight away from these finely drawn characters. Howard never loses control of the narrative, but he does stray into the exact type of filmmaking he had been avoiding throughout the movie’s duration.

The performances, especially from Brühl, are highly effective. Hemsworth, sporting the usual Thor-ish physique, looks the part, but he also has a way of being that annoying, likable frat boy. For his character, the movie serves as a coming-of-age film, in some ways. He’s all jokes and alcohol, believing in immortality. It takes a few scares on the racecourse for him to realize he’s flying too close to the sun.

Brühl plays Lauda as the man always coming up short, a person who values precision and speed. The fact that Hunt bests him and lives the lifestyle of a Hollywood celebrity is irksome. Lauda doesn’t seem to race for the fun of the sport; he wants to win, no matter the cost. Brühl’s intensity can be seen in his eyes, in the obvious thoughts circulating his mind.

Rush is exciting entertainment and one of the stronger films of 2013.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Rush

• 2013

• Directed by Ron Howard

• Written by Peter Morgan

• Starring Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl and Olivia Wilde

• Running time: 123 minutes

• Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language, some disturbing images and brief drug use

• Rating: