Opposites attract at high speeds in 'Rush'
Maybe Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan are perfect opposites: one a swinging playboy, the other a cold calculator.
They have twice now collaborated on what you might call coin-flip films: movies about dueling, diametrically opposed forces. Their latest, the Formula One thriller “Rush,” is a lot like their “Frost/Nixon,” only on wheels.
Chris Hemsworth plays the English rogue James Hunt, a dashing head of blond hair whose daring-do and high-class accent turn women into mush. Daniel Bruhl plays Niki Lauda, an analytical Austrian with pointy front teeth and a complete dearth of what you might call people skills.
Whereas Hunt is a classic, carousing, big-ego racer, Lauda is a methodical tactician. The film, based on the lives of the two famous racers, captures the climax of their collision in the 1976 world championship that came down to the final race and that also featured a crash that left Lauda's face terribly burned.
Howard's film is propelled by the clash of styles that repels them from one another, even as their mutual dedication draws them closer.
Racing films often speed inevitably toward clichés of fast-paced living catching up to the men behind the wheel. “Rush” has plenty of that. But it veers away toward something much sweeter: a simple ode to rivalry.
Formula One, which engenders far more passion in Europe than in the NASCAR-favored U.S., has seldom turned up in the movies. Most notably, there was the handsomely photographed “Grand Prix” (1966).
While “Rush” has plenty of exciting, highly saturated racing scenes, Howard is more concerned with the personality conflict, played out at high speed.
Hemsworth looks particularly unburdened in a role perfectly suited to his talents and natural bravado. Bruhl, though, is even more compelling. The German-born actor makes Lauda, with a clipped Austrian accent, endearing in his obsessive pursuit.
Howard, with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, frames both actors in close-up, letting the ping pong of their competition fill the movie. There are other good supporting performances (Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara as the drivers' wives), but the film belongs to Hemsworth and Bruhl as they weave through a tumultuous racing season.
It's not only one of the better racing films, it's one of Howard's best.
Whatever the nature of Howard and Morgan's collaboration, it seems to be pushing them — like Hunt and Lauda — to greater heights.
TITLE: “Rush”CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde and Alexandra Maria LaraDIRECTOR: Ron HowardRATED: R for sexual content, nudity, language, some disturbing images and brief drug useGRADE: ★★★★★ (out of 5)
