Rush film review

I felt a bit left out, reading review after review, tweet after tweet and Facebook status after Facebook status regarding the brilliance of the new film Rush.

(c) Studio Canal

You see, it came out during a trip to visit family in France and hence, I wasn't able to see it until last weekend. Straight off the back of the Singapore Grand Prix, I headed to the cinema with my Dad - an avid F1 fan who became interested in the sport during the 70's - to see a film that I had very high expectations of.

And I must admit, the film definitely met my expectations.

I had been reporting on the Ron Howard directed film for quite some time, pretty much since the first sneak peek was revealed. I, along with millions of other F1 fans, couldn’t wait to see the film and to see how the epic rivalry would translate onto the big screen.

So after months of waiting, anticipation and expectations rising as the reviews and views on the film came to light, the time finally arrived. My good friend Luke Smith informed me of its brilliance, saying "You will love it mate" and guess what? I really did!

(c) Studio Canal

Lauda vs. Hunt will go down as one of the most iconic rivalries in Formula 1 history. The 1976 season was packed full of drama, controversy, action and heart-wrenching sadness. It was the perfect storyline for a Hollywood film, so I'm surprised someone hadn't picked it up sooner.

Overall, I think the film was very, very good. It was 122 minutes of beautifully directed brilliance. The drama was high throughout, the casting choices were spot on and the characters were very realistic. I was born in 1994, so I missed the whole titanic battle in all its glory. However, what I have seen and heard, I thought the two characters were portrayed in a brilliant – but obviously slightly exaggerated - manner.

As I said above, the casting choices were brilliant with Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl proving to be the perfect actors to play the two leading protagonists. The accents were fantastic and the two contrasting characters of Hunt - cheeky and care free - and Lauda - professional and precise - translated well in the film.

Of course, the film wasn't just about the characters themselves but also the on-track action. Considering the restrictions that they had filming the racing scenes - most were shot on UK race circuits or at the iconic Nurburgring - they did a fantastic job in recreating the excitement, drama and speed of real F1 action.

I was left on the edge of my seat during many of the mid-race scraps, showing just how life-like they were. From the F3 battle early in the film - which never really happened - to the 1976 season finale in Fuji, the scenery was captured beautifully, the racing was largely accurate and precise. Not only did the cars look good but they also sounded amazing as well, something I’m sure won’t translate as well through my TV speakers at home (as I'm definitely going to get the DVD!)

(c) Studio Canal

I particularly loved the use of on-board, shaky and close-up camera shots to really build up the drama and tension during the on-track scenes. I also felt that the slow-motion slots were used well too. 

The accident scenes were also astonishingly well made; it looked as if it was the real footage. Both Niki Lauda's fiery 1976 crash and Francois Cevert's fatal accident were shot with amazing detail, so much so that they had me wincing at the sight of them. However, I'm not surprised that the film has been certified 15+ in the UK as younger F1 fans may find them hard to watch.

However, there were a few nit-picky things that I thought could have been done slightly differently. I felt that some of the overtakes were over far too quickly, cars slowing on the straights as Hunt or Lauda sped past. I felt this lessened the realism somewhat alongside a few of the wide-angled shots that looked far too obviously filmed at the Brands Hatch circuit (although that is probably just my familiarity with the UK circuits), considering the amazing recreation of circuits like 

Regardless of a few tiny issues, the film was absolutely fantastic and I loved every minute of it. Rush met my high expectations with ease and the ending, using real life shots, tugged at my heart strings. It was great to see the film mention their friendship in the closing sequence too, as viewers not familiar with the storyline could easily have thought they disliked each other (they called one another 'arsehole' enough times.)

I adored hearing the noises of the 70's F1 cars, I loved watching the rivalry unravel and intensify in front of my very own eyes and it really did make me wish that I had witnessed the 1976 season first hand.

Ron Howard managed to produce a fantastic racing movie, something that is very difficult to do, and depicted the story – which was largely true - and era brilliantly. It is definitely a must see for all F1 fans - whether they are a life-long supporter or new to the sport. So props to everyone involved in creating the film because I thoroughly enjoyed it and know plenty of others who did as well.

I know that a lot of you may have already seen it, but if not I would definitely recommend it! To see when it comes out where you live, go here.