Rush (2013) is a Compelling Study of Competitive Friction
Rush is a refreshing and successful sports drama due to Ron Howard’s focus on the psychological volatility of the characters instead of the technical details of Formula One (F1) racing. If character-centric story-building is your preference, you will appreciate this adaptation of the heightened F1 racing rivalry that grounded personal philosophy.
The Architecture of a High-Stakes Rivalry
The film shows the Formula One racing scene of the 70’s and how it represents two very different ways of viewing the world. Niki Lauda (played by Daniel Brühl) portrays a race driven man with more of a mathematician’s way of approaching problems. The views Lauda shows portray a sharp contrast against James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) who is a more irresponsible, party driven race man. The racing sequences in the film are beautiful mainly because they show the inner state of the main characters, and are shots by Anthony Dod Mantle. Mens portrayal of dangerous racing is better shown in the more realistic style of filming as opposed to the style of more modern, glossy sports movies. One of the main pieces of this movie is the driving force that is the actual race track, created by Hans Zimmer and his choice to elude large musical pieces, and create a score with persistent, driving, repetitive rhythm to match the movie itself.
Where the Narrative Precision Falters
The film’s use of innovative technology is impressive, but the side characters feel little more than satellites of the main conflict. While Olivia Wilde and Alexandra Maria Lara fill supporting roles, they often serve the emotional arcs of the men and, as a result, are shallow compared to Hunt and Lauda. This unbalance levels the stakes: during the domestic scenes, the audience struggles to find the same level of intensity as the scenes at the track.
In the second act, many audiences will lose interest as the film shifts from the competition and thrill of the rivalry to the recovery of Niki Lauda. This shift is important to the film’s main idea about the cost of ambition, but some audience members may lose interest. However, the performances keep the drama compelling even when the action outside the performances slow down.
Assessing the Target Audience
This movie is for the fan of sports movies that are actually character studies.This movie is not for the action junkie, as there is a lot of dialogue and deep philosophical debate, which for a racing movie could be seen as a distraction. But for those who enjoy seeing history small and personal, and of course personalities in conflict, there’s a lot to enjoy.
For anyone who likes to see how historical biopics can be done while still keeping a good entertaining storyline, this movie does a great job at both. Precise and well-balanced is how you can describe this story. For those who like movies that are well-balanced, this is it! This probably won’t appeal to people who don’t like sports movies but at least this is a movie that takes itself seriously.
