Days of Speed: Review of Rush

Rush

Director: Ron Howard

By Alex Watson

Motorsports always needs a great rivalry to provide unbeatable action and tension to keep the viewers at home hooked whether it is Prost V Senna, Mansell v Piquet or Hill v Schumacher. All of these great competitors were willing to go the extra mile to beat their opponents (regardless of whether it was ethical or not). But one rivalry that stands out is one that ignited the dramatic 1976 Formula one season and even today is regarded as high for the sport, and that one was of Austrian ace Niki Lauda and British lady-killer James Hunt. This year Ron Howard brings the full story to the screen in his film Rush– but with F1 being so absent on our screens, will this prove a turn point for Motorsport in cinema?

Having previously crossed paths in Formula 3, Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) and James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) draw swords for the 1976 F1 season, but after a great start by Lauda in his devastatingly quick Ferrari, Hunt is left playing catch up but after a dramatic tenth race at the Nurburgring in Germany as Lauda suffers a life changing crash- but while Hunt racks up the points, Lauda makes an ambitious effort to make it back to track which will led to one of the most exciting championship showdowns in history.

Rush is a movie that is heart stopping throughout and thanks to Ron Howard’s excellent execution of the racing scenes, the adrenaline is constantly flowing! The Lauda/Hunt rivalry is a fitting story for any movie and against the background of the swinging 70s this tale keeps viewers hooked throughout as the men from two completely different worlds compete for glory. Their back stories perfectly personify the men, Lauda is a technically excellent racer whose constant focus and direct attitude earns him as many enemies as it does admirers, to the point he where insults Ferrari over the car they have given him, team mate Clay Regazzoni quips “Are you ever not an arsehole?”

Hunt is a dashing devil may care racer who lives life hard both on and off the track! Immensely quick on the track he leaves behind a trail of wreckage and a bad reputation among teams. As he enters the movie he has been brought to hospital because another driver beat him up over a ‘disagreement’ over his wife! His declining reputation stagnates to the point where he has to beg Teddy Mayer (Colin Stilton) of McLaren to give him a drive just to be on the grid! Racing is the only common ground the two men have and they are both seeking to be the best at it!

On the track is where Rush really fires and through great CG, the dangerous time of 70s F1 is brought brilliantly to life. This time of racing wasn’t like the Vettel dominated sport we see today and the reminder of death looms large over this film as drivers have accidents they don’t always walk away from! The tipping point for the story is Lauda’s life changing accident at the Nurburgring- through Howard (and some impressive use of prosthetics) Lauda’s painful and determined recovery is one that gives us a complete 360 degree change of heart and as he makes his awkward attempt to return only six weeks later at the Italian Grand Prix, we firmly route for him!

Fittingly Rush gives us a climax that rivals the drama and anxiety of the 1976 season as our two heroes do battle against a rain swept Mount Fuji at the Japanese Grand Prix. With visibility at zero, the pair go to all lengths to stay ahead and as always, the results are one that are remarkably close and not without some late race problems! This sequence will stand as one of the most exciting racing scenes shot!

Yes this movie will have moments that F1 purists (such as myself) will nitpick at such as their decision to omit Hunt’s controversial disqualification from winning the British Grand Prix or the over use of montages and facts to keep non motorsport lovers updated, but all that is irrelevant because we are given a great cinematic story and this will provide entertainment regardless of it you know names such as Jacky Ickx or Jochen Mass!

As the pair of rivals, both leading men are perfectly casted as the mismatched duo, with Bruhl leading the way the analytical Lauda and through Bruhl’s firm presence on screen it is Niki who we come out warmed by as he shows tremendous courage overcoming his fate and even though his personal skills are at times questionable- his spirit is not! Hemsworth fits the role of James Hunt like a glove and effortless brings the British drivers easy going charm to life. But it his quieter moments that are more intriguing as James is forced to reflect on the man beneath the gloss!

I am delighted to announce to the world that in Rush we finally we have an F1 film that stands out in the modern day and not since Grand Prix has racing action been this exciting. Hunt and Lauda’sbattle is one that deserves to be seen onscreen and it is ironically an American we have to thank for this- Ron Howard you have a very happy F1 fan here!

The Wild One: Senna Review

Classic from the Vault

Senna (2011)

Director: Asif Kapadia

By Alex Watson

Ayrton Senna was a true legend of Grand Prix racing. From 1984 to mid-1994, Formula One fans were treated to some of the greatest driving ever witnessed on a race track. Senna’s talent was his ability to combine raw speed with pure driving skill. Through this he was able to elevate a car beyond its design limits and set the standards for other drivers. His name has become a legend over time and until last year there was no film to document his life and career. Step forward director Asif Kapadia, who has given us a worthy homage to a racing great in his 2011 documentary, Senna.

Senna follows the great Brazilian’s F1 career from its beginning at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, to his first world title with McLaren in 1988 and the dominance that followed it. It concludes with his tragic death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, where a heavy crash ended his life. The documentary also focuses on his fierce rivalry with team-mate Alain Prost and his desire to beat him by any way possible. His off-track life is also well documented, including Senna’s devout Catholic faith and how it spurred him on to greatness as well as his efforts to make F1 a safer sport: a cause for which he would later die to prove that change was needed!

The greatest quality of Kapadia’s documentary is that it paints a very neutral portrayal of Ayrton Senna. His driving skill is celebrated unanimously by a variety of motorsport personalities. Through their perspectives, we see famous examples, such the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Senna drove a car to victory which had lost three gears and caused him great pain! But this skill made him as many enemies as friends. Senna’s recklessness caused some controversial moments in his career. For instance his decision to win the 1990 world title by crashing into main rival Prost at the first corner of the Japanese Grand Prix! The great man was a racer through and through and his view was always: “If you no longer go for a gap, you’re no longer a racing driver.”

Senna’s relentless battle with Prost is one of the main themes of Senna. It could be viewed as the pretender against the master – one critic described this film as ‘Amadeus on wheels’. This section of the story really spurs Kapadia’s film into life as he delves into the psychology of the two men and the lengths they were willing to go to in order to come out on top. This view is demonstrated when his Prost says in voice over: “He didn’t want to beat me… he wanted to humiliate me!”

Prost is the closest thing to a villain that Senna has. Although this somewhat unfairly as the man was never a controversial figure in F1 and got to the top by being technically excellent. But as both men were head-strong, what started as a friendly rivalry turned to all-out war by their second season! Prost’s close relationship with motor sport boss, FIA President Jean-Marie Ballestre, is closely scrutinised. The battle between Senna and Ballestre to make F1 safer is also a major talking point. The two were always constantly in a war of words and at times it looked like it would boil over.

Kapadia gives the audience a first-hand look at this conflict: one memorable scene shows Senna leading a driver revolt over his nemesis’s decision to replace tyres with traffic cones at corners before one race! By the end you feel like standing and applauding Senna for his brio!

The racing footage speaks loudest of all in Senna, as it gives the audience a brilliant demonstration of the man’s talents. Watching him fly around the track leaves you open-mouthed at the driving skill he brought to motorsport. It is to the credit of Kapadia that this film has been appealed to such a wide audience, and hasn’t just tried to sell itself to the motor sport-only crowd. Ayrton Senna as a subject is one worth of any audience, regardless of how many grands prix watched, and has been recognised by a BAFTA and film festival wins.

Senna was top of my list for 2011 and while some might think it slightly premature to include it on my ‘Classic from the Vault’ list, I firmly believe this film, like the legend it portrays, has already reached iconic status! If you don’t know who Ayrton Senna is or was, then start by viewing this top-class documentary because it is a fitting tribute to a true master of the track!