Rush (hopefully spoiler-free review)
Some might put this in our "Vroom" sub-forum, but it really doesn't belong near any F1 fans*!
Probably a 3-stars-out-of-5. Some great bits, but it all failed to gel into a whole, and the mix of probably fact with probably dramatic licence kept bugging me. The first 10 minutes REALLY made me want to be James Hunt
It had Austin Powers style sexy scenes, high drama on the track, cartoon-stereotype Brits, and a slightly hard-to-believe rivalry, where both drivers acted like arseholes most of the time. Several lump-in-the-throat moments (to my surprise, a guy
deciding to just stop racing was the most affecting one). A peculiar mix. Lots of scenes felt like things that must have happened, but had been tweaked for drama so that they
felt fictional. I await an authoritative list of
real vs
made-up with interest
The early track scenes were really great. Worth going to the cinema for the engine-noise alone. The finale was a bit spoilt with too much Gladiator-style music - the best motorsport films have used
just the real sounds of the sport, they're all you need.
So overall I'd recommend it (if you like noisy cars and all that), but i felt a little let down. It's an amazing story, and Howard did so many bits well that you felt they could have made a REALLY good film with a few subtle changes.
Footnote: I liked that the best-looking woman in the thing married Lauda
(She didn't get many lines, but 1 was probaby the best in the whole script). I was convinced I knew the actress - Alexandra Maria Lara - from somewhere. IMDB suggests not (I have never watched Downfall!). WHo the heck does she look like that I DO know???
*I was prepared for a film aimed at non-fans, but fans will probably hate it! I didn't spot any glaring errors EXCEPT filming done at Brands passed off as other european circuits. Nice try Mr Howard - but most fans will know Brands Hatch faaaar too well to let that one slip by
[Christ I hope they
did film at Brands .... ]