Review of Rush (2013) by Dana F — 13 May 2014

Well, it's better than Days of Thunder. Ron Howard is an excellent storyteller, one of the best, in my opinion. Unfortunately, in this movie, there's just not much of a story to tell. It's basically a summary of the rivalry between two Formula 1 racecar drivers in the mid-70s.

But there is just not very much meat to this "rivalry", so the end result is more than a little boring. Howard jazzes it up with the racings scenes by using quick cuts and a lot of cool inside-the-car shots, but it's just not enough.

The movie is certainly executed well, I can't find any flaws in the direction, editing, or acting (which is pretty great, especially by the two leads). The problem is the story, which just isn't exciting enough to grab my full attention, much less keep me interested for the over 2-hour run time.

I will say the second half is much better than the first, thanks to the focus of the story shifting to Daniel Bruhl's character Niki Lauda. Bruhl is excellent here, and honestly should have been given top billing, because this movie is really his story.

.. Chris Hemsworth's character James Hunt is almost supplemental, though Hemsworth gives a great performance too. Overall, even though it's a quality film, it just isn't memorable.