In sports, the three biggest rivalries in my opinion have been Celtics vs. Lakers, Ali vs. Frazier, and Cowboys vs. 49ers. In the realm of Formula One racing the three biggest rivalries have been Senna vs. Prost, Hamilton vs. Alonzo, and Lauda vs. Hunt. Now some may disagree with me on any one of those rivalries I listed and that's fine, it's all subjective. For me though, those six were the ultimate in competition between man and teams. The last rivalry I mentioned is the backbone of the movie Rush by director Ron Howard. Now I am not a big Ron Howard fan, I never really have been because while his movies are enjoyable the first time you see them, they tend to be boring the second go round. His movie of the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt may bring that to an abrupt end. Starring Chris Hemsworth as the charismatic James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl as the driven and exacting Niki Lauda, Ron takes us literally into the hearts, minds, and helmets of the two men during the amazing 1976 Formula One racing season.
Chronicling that 1976 season where Niki Lauda almost lost his life in a horrific crash, screenwriter Peter Morgan captured the essence of the two men perfectly. James was the lothario, insecure bad boy, play boy type who loved a good time and Niki was the exact opposite. He was precise, exacting, a perfectionist who often rubbed people the wrong way with his abrupt and blunt nature. The one thing they had in common was racing and they pushed each other to be better. They were each others perfect nemesis. The racing scenes were phenomenal, taken right out of history and put up on the screen. The cars were amazing, and Ron even put us in the engine at times. I can't imagine how much of the reported $38 million dollar budget was spent on the cars alone, but they were worth every penny.
Rush is a display of master film making and if Ron Howard isn't careful, he may just make me into a fan of his. The performances by Olivia Wilde who plays Suzy Miller, one time wife of Hunt's and Alexandra Maria Lara who plays Niki's wife Marlene Lauda cannot be overlooked. They added some mush needed levity, charm, and beauty to the high octane, high testosterone world or auto racing. The production design by Mark Digby deserves incredible praise for doing an amazing job of recreating 1976. Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle should walk away with a few awards for his work. The look and feel is beautiful, he puts you in the middle of the action making you feel like you're doing the driving. Scored masterfully by Hans Zimmer, the music is mesmerizing. It heightens the drama and the tension, takes it to another level. I loved his Man of Steel score and I rank that as my favorite score of 2013, Rush is a close second, a job done to perfection. If you don't like auto racing you can still enjoy this movie because the racing is really secondary. The main plot of Rush is the battle of wills between two men who initially hate each other only to come to respect each other and love each other as brothers. If you do like auto racing, then you're in for a treat because Rush does not disappoint in that regard, trust me and I'll see you at the theater (for this movie again).
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