Review of Rush (2013) by Martyn E — 28 Feb 2014

This is a brilliant movie. It is not "another dumb racing movie." The events all happened in real life: the rivalry, the conflicting personalities, the dramatic season. The two principle actors, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, are both phenomenal. Their characters are fleshed out and alive even though the film takes place in a small window between 1970 and 1976. It presents a story narrated by both characters and it makes it difficult to support one character over the other. Life is more complicated than that. I found the story absolutely riveting until the credits rolled.

The look of the film is beyond reproach as well. The colors and filters all convey the 70's throughout the picture. Nothing is too over the top. There is a little bit of shaky cam and some digital graphics to provide insight into the cars but overall it's a warm look and some incredible action shots in the thick of the races - a great blu-ray movie.

The music is comprised of a powerful Hans Zimmer score and some great rock from that era.

I watched this after seeing it turn up in so many "Best Of 2013" lists. Ron Howard can add this to his great films; the list already includes Apollo 13, Willow, Parenthood, Cinderella Man, & Frost/Nixon. Even though it didn't get much recognition, this is one of the best films of last year.