Review of Rush (2013) by Gina W — 14 Jul 2014

I'd read plenty of great reviews for this, and while the race sequences are brilliantly realised, the whole thing left my mind almost as soon as it arrived.

Chris Hemsworth & Daniel Bruhl are outstanding in the pivotal lead roles, and the racing scenes are truly breathtaking, with outstanding sound design as well as visual flair.

But despite plenty of authenticity (including Bruhl's pretty nasty makeup) it seems as though the filmmakers have made decisions throughout that dumb everything down. Psychological insights are left alone in favour of banal one-liners. There's so much expository dialogue spelling things out for us at every opportunity. Not least during the stunning race scenes, where every detail is explained for us by the commentator. I know Peter Morgan has been involved in some great films, but IMHO this script is a proper clunker.

What a shame. With just a little subtlety and trust in the audience this could have been a very good film.