Review of Rush (2013) by Shivraj K — 17 Mar 2014

A true rivalry motivates competitors to push their abilities to the limit, in a way they cannot muster on their own. There is an external resentment and dislike for each other, but there is also internal respect for one another.

That respect can grow into a unique form of friendship. This movie is about the real-life rival formula-one racecar drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt. Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth both play the parts well.

Neither of characters is particularly likable. One is an impulsive and immature playboy, and the other is confrontational, curt, and coarse with almost everyone. Not having an obvious good-guy to root for and a prominent bad-guy to hate makes this so much more interesting.

This means it is no longer about who wins and who losses. It is about the two drivers and the sport itself. Ron Howard does a great job of telling a simple story in an interesting way. The racing scenes are well shot and are very exciting.

Howard is also careful not to go overboard with too much action. There is a nice balance in the integration of dialogue driven character development and flashy race scenes. Lauda and Hunt are absolutely rivals in the purest form, just like Bird and Magic or Chamberlain and Russell.

This presentation and packaging of their relationship and story is interesting and entertaining.