Rush

Here is a sports picture done the right way. It doesn’t package its subjects into the standard sports movie product with underdog stories, big games (or in this case, races), or sentimental moral lessons. That wouldn’t be very interesting. The focus is rather on the men involved in the story and what drives them. In that respect, its viewpoint is more similar to nonfiction sports books, or especially documentaries. Only instead of just banal interviews and highlight reels, a real film offers the opportunity to see the characters interact and events play out, while giving us close-up kinetic racing scenes way more exciting than what TV cameras catch. It also allows for something these other mediums never seem to quite accomplish: getting to the heart of what makes a rivalry, not just waxing nostalgic about its big moments.

The rivalry in Rush is the real-life one between two Formula One drivers: the death-defying, hard-partying Englishman James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth), and the more calculating, less amiable Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). The film shows their rapport beginning in the early 1970s during a race in the lower level Formula Three. But the majority of the picture follows the 1976 F1 season, where Lauda was the reigning champion, and Hunt started down on his luck and desperate for a team to even sponsor him.

What was the basis for their rivalry? Well, there’s the typical sense of competition between high-level performers, and their differences in personality. But the movie also strongly hints at their different approach to driving: Lauda is much more calculating and conservative, while Hunt is willing to make risky moves in a race to get ahead. For much of the time, it seems like their rivalry is one of hate, an unhealthy obsession. But when a terrible accident befalls one of them, it becomes clear that both view the other with a mutual admiration and respect, even kinship. And in this, the movie understands exactly why rivalries are such an important part of sports. For the fans, they may just be about hate, but for the people behind the wheel—or on the field, or on the court, or competing in anything, really—it’s an extra boost to always go a little farther, and do a little better. 

The performances of Brühl and Hemsworth reflect this, as they both really capture the ultracompetitive mindset of high-level athletes, one of the only times I’ve seen actors in a movie do so. Their egos are not hindrances to teach us about humility and sportsmanship like in so many sports movies; rather, it’s this very fire that fuels them. Because of that fire, they aren’t always very likeable characters. One thing they have in common is that their obsession with victory alienates the women in their lives (Alexandra Maria Lara and Olivia Wilde, both good but a little pressed for screen time, like the rest of the supporting cast). But we, the viewers, can feel the fire, and we find ourselves not rooting for one or the other, but both.

There are some little subtle touches about the world of racing, as well as the role of athletes as media darlings versus their real selves. But everything else aside, the narrative is a small, focused one on the dynamic between two people locked in each other’s sights. Though it takes place in the 70s, the picture doesn’t spend a lot of time on the nostalgic aesthetic, so it doesn’t seem frozen in its time period. And even if you’re not a fan of racing (I’m not), or really sports in general, this is an exciting, compelling, and often funny work of entertainment.