Rush

Ron Howard’s F1 docudrama is more than just a racing movie, and is accelerated by two fantastic leading performances.

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PRE GAME 🏎️

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Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻

I hope you’re all doing well. I mentioned last week, that I was a bit concerned about the incoming storm here in Scotland, and I’m happy to say that our home made it through with minimal damage. It was indeed pretty scary, and I’ve never experienced weather quite like it here before.

Thanks for all of your racing movie suggestions over the last couple of weeks. I decided to start with Rush, in all honesty, because it’s on Netflix here in the UK and was easy for me to access. I’d also heard great things about the film, however, and was exited to get into the first racing movie here at Balls on Film, despite not knowing a whole lot about the real-life story it’s based on.

It got me thinking about another sports movie-adjacent topic - what’s your favourite movie that could almost be a sports movie but technically isn’t? What comes close, but doesn’t fall under that IMDb category? One that immediately came to mind, for example, is Sudden Death (1995), but I’d love to know yours.

With that, let’s fire up those engines and get ready to Rush!

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FIRST HALF 🏎️

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Some of the best sports movies are the ones that can make the viewer care and become fully invested in them, even if the person watching doesn’t know anything about the particular sport or the events they’re based on. Rush does just that. I’m not the biggest Formula 1 fan, and outside of a few clips here and there, I’ve never actually watched a race and couldn’t tell you much about the sport at all. When the credits rolled on Rush, I left me wanting to know more about the sport, its history and famous rivalries.

Universal

The film tells the story of the rivalry between James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). Hunt is the charming, charismatic playboy type who's all about thrill and showmanship, while Lauda is much more serious, focused, and strategic. Both are incredibly talented, but they approach racing – and life – in completely different ways. The film opens with the two crossing paths for the first time, and from there it’s like a never-ending collision course right until the end.

Even though I didn't know much about the real-life drivers, the movie did a great job of making me care about them, which is a credit to the two leading performances. Chris Hemsworth is super charismatic and captures Hunt’s often reckless charm, whereas Daniel Brühl as Lauda, is just as compelling but the polar opposite type of character. I was really blown away by Brühl here, partially after reading more about the the real life Lauda afterwards and going down a bit of a rabbit hole. He delivers a real standout performance, and I loved that the film didn’t just approach the story and the character as mere foil for Hunt. In actual fact, Lauda is the most interesting character in the movie. From that first meeting, you really feel the tension between them and it’s because of these stark differences in their approach to racing and to life. They bring out both the best and the worst in each other at various points in the story, all driven by their desire to be the best above all else. It really feels like the two are born rivals, like their meeting was meant to be.

Universal

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, one of the movie’s greatest strengths is how it makes Formula 1 accessible, even for viewers like me who are unfamiliar with the sport. This is where I need to commend Ron Howard’s stellar direction. This didn’t feel like a typical Ron Howard movie, if that makes sense? I’m a fan of Howard’s, but I’d love to see him make even more stuff like this. The race sequences are incredible, with some amazing camera work and a sound design that you’ll feel deep in your bones with a good audio set up. The cinematography feels gritty and stylish at the same time, and the editing makes every race feel chaotic and dangerous. Rush is also a prime example of how a great score can elevate an already strong movie, and that’s exactly what Hans Zimmer brings here. It’s such well-crafted movie, and had me on the edge of my seat for much of the time. Impressive, since I went into this not really caring all that much about the story at all. The whole Nürburgring sequence, and the debate about the weather and whether to go ahead with the race was a masterclass in tension, that had me in knots watching it. It’s in this scene in particular, where the directing, editing and sound design work together at their absolute best.

Universal

There’s not much in the way of negatives here. I actually loved this movie way more than I thought I would. If you really wanted to level any criticisms at Rush, you could say it follows quite a few of the conventional sports movie tropes like the underdog story, the personal setbacks, the climactic final showdown etc. But this is a sports movie newsletter, and I think it’s safe to say that all of us here are fine with these tropes. While they are still there, I do think that the film presents them in interesting ways, and I was firmly engaged the entire time. Perhaps it helped that I didn’t know much about the real life events too, because there were a few moments in there that really shocked me.

Universal

Simply put, Rush is exhilarating. Since I’m not a big F1 fan, I can’t say for sure that it truly captured the essence of the sport, but I found the racing scenes absolutely thrilling. I’d imagine that most F1 fans have already seen the film at this point, but I’d feel confident in recommending it to any who haven’t. Driven by two amazing leading performances, it’s as much a story about how rivals can bring out the best in each other - even to a fault sometimes - as it is a story about racing. I can’t believe it’s taken me twelve years to finally watch it.

Rush is available to purchase on most digital platforms and available to stream on Netflix.

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HALFTIME 🏎️

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Let’s take a break for halftime.

Here’s what else I’ve been enjoying this week:

Companion

I went into this having not seen the trailer and knowing pretty much nothing at all, and I’m so glad that I did. I’d recommend you do the same, if you can. I did not expect this to go where it did. Sophie Thatcher plays Iris, a woman deeply in love with her boyfriend, Josh, and the movie begins with the couple heading to a remote cabin for a weekend with Josh’s friends. Something doesn’t feel quite right, and that’s all I’m going to say about the plot. This was one of the most creative and entertaining horror-thrillers I’ve seen in a while. It’s also got plenty of laughs throughout too. Sophie Thatcher is absolutely fantastic here. Go see it, and don’t read anything about it, if you’re able to.

In theatres now.

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Has anyone else read this book? I finished it this week, and it was so much fun. Laugh-out-loud funny, serious when it needs to be and full of blood, guts and fun satire and cultural commentary. The story follows Carl, an ordinary guy who finds himself trapped in a deadly, videogame-like dungeon with his talking cat, Princess Donut. Yep, you read that right. As he navigates the perilous levels in his boxer shorts, Carl must outsmart monsters, solve puzzles, and do whatever he can to survive. If you love video games, it’ll be right up your street. So much fun!

Available to purchase wherever you get your books.

Mythic Quest

Whether you love gaming, workplace comedies or both, you should definitely be watching Mythic Quest, which returns for its fourth season this week. The show features one of my favourite ensemble casts on tv, and strikes the balance between zany humour, and clever insights into the tech and gaming industries just right. I’m so glad it’s back.

Available to stream on Apple TV Plus.

As usual, let me know what you’re enjoying this week too. Let’s get back to Rush.

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SECOND HALF 🏎️

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Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.

BEST SCENE 🏆

The final scene with James and Niki is about as perfect a way you could have ended this movie. There’s a real sense of resolution here, and I loved how the film used real life footage and photos towards the end too.

BEST LINE 🏆

James Hunt: “The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel. It's a wonderful way to live. It's the only way to drive.”

MVP AWARD 🏆

Both Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl are fantastic, and each one brought such different things to the movie. Both are deserving of this one but I have to go with Brühl, who was sensational here. I’m amazed that he didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for his performance.

TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆

I absolutely love this…

Per IMDb:

When Niki Lauda first saw 'Rush' he said "Sh*t! That's really me."

BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆

Basically the only review you need to read.

Alyssawillett on Letterboxd

BONUS FEATURE 💿

Here’s the real Niki Lauda offering his thoughts on the film. Even though Niki is older here, watching this makes me appreciate Daniel Brühl‘s performance even more. He really captured Lauda perfectly.

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POST-GAME 🏎️

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Next weekend is Super Bowl weekend, so we’re going to head back on to the gridiron - but I’m going to let you guys choose the movie this time. There’s a bunch of American Football movies we’ve not covered yet, but the next two on my list were The Waterboy and Draft Day. Two pretty different movies for sure! You can vote for which one you’d like me to review next week, in the poll below. Voting will close on Monday.

You know what my favourite part of the Super Bowl is? Knowing that when it’s all over, we’re that little bit closer to baseball season. That’s not a knock on football in any way, I just miss baseball a lot! I know we’re still a couple of months away, but I already can’t wait for Opening Day.

As always, let me know what you thought of this week’s movie in the comments. Don’t forget to vote for next week’s movie too, and leave your Super Bowl prediction, if you have one.

See you guys next week!

~James