Rush may be two hours long, but it races by. Directed by Ron Howard, the film is based on the true story of a rivalry between two Formula One drivers in the 1970s, Niki Lauda played by Daniel Brühl and James Hunt played by Chris Hemsworth.
The film is brilliant. Rush is engaging, simplistic, and aesthetically pleasing. Howard understood the simplicity of his film from the start and makes no mistake to depict the story any other way than it should be told. There is an overlying message to the story, but it holds no burden on the viewer's mind. Overall, it's an adult-friendly film that challenges any viewer to find their flaws.
Hemsworth and Brühl are also exceptional aspects to the film in both their visual similarities to their characters' real life counterparts as well as their abilities to lead a convincing story through the eyes of their characters. Both are worthy of their fame, and Hemsworth can finally be viewed as a character other than Thor.
The film shows minimal unnecessary racing scenes and there's no disappointment when Howard skips through several races at a time with brilliantly motion-tracked text depicting the races outcomes. All that is revealed of the racing scenes is what's necessary to convey the suspense, characterization and events pertaining to the depiction of the story.
Rush maintains a perfect balance of cinema elements including dramatics, humor, intensity, character development and conflict that are lacking in most sports films. Certainly, this film stands on a pedestal of best sports dramas and perhaps is the best racing film out there.
The simplicity of the film may serve to disappoint those who are in search of a more profound story. The film wraps up leaving no desire to journey further into the themes and simply serves to entertain for what it is because that was Howard's intention. The narrative didn't even faintly dissatisfy my personal search for profundity.
Rumors have already begun circulating even before the official release of Rush to theaters concerning the potential relationship this film may be having with our upcoming Oscar season. After Howard's success at the Academy Awards with A Beautiful Mind and Frost/Nixon, there seems to be no doubt that Rush will have the same fate. Howard will be competing with other directors such as David O'Russell, Martin Scorsese, George Clooney and Alfonso Cuarón, all of who are held to high standards for their upcoming films later this year.
Howard, however, has already proven himself a worthy candidate and doesn't cease to impress the audience with his latest installment in his filmography.