The best thing about Ron Howard’s exhilarating new movie, “Rush,” is that it’s 100- percent character-driven. Forget the fact that the movie is about Formula One racing or tells the true story of the 1970s rivalry between British driver James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and German driver Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl); Howard’s main goal is to develop the lives of these fascinating guys, who had very different approaches to the sport.
Howard doesn’t choose sides. He gives each one ample time, remaining objective. “Rush” has some of the best character development of any movie I’ve seen this year; in fact, to call them “characters” is kind of insulting.
Hunt is the more aggressive of the two. To him, racing is the ultimate ride, an adrenaline rush (no puns intended), and he has no problem staring death down during each and every race. With his classic, good looks (chiseled face and long, flowing, blonde hair) and his all-around, charming personality, Hunt is initially made out to be the likable one.
But Howard digs beneath this likable exterior and exposes his downfalls. As much as he likes attention and to be around people, he’s incredibly selfish and arrogant, rubbing his victories in his rivals’ faces. On top of that, while his aggression and headstrongness does pay off in some regards, he’s also wildly inconsistent when it comes to winning. Not to mention his playboy tendencies.
Overall, what we can gather about Hunt is that he’s restless and unable to settle down, which proves to have dire consequences; at the end, we’re informed that he died of a heart attack at age 45.
This is by far the most complex character Hemsworth has portrayed, and yet, it still plays to his sensibilities as an actor. He slips into the role with almost no effort.
Bruhl has the more difficult role to play. Where Hunt initially comes off charming and likable, Lauda comes off cold and unpleasant, and unlike Hunt, he doesn’t have the good looks. To him, Formula One racing is a science more than a sport. He knows more about the cars from a technological standpoint, but he doesn’t appear to be having much fun doing it. For him, safety is the No. 1 concern, and he likes to have everything calculated out.
On top of that, he doesn’t like to socialize all that much, and he has this smug sense of entitlement; to him, his way is the best and only way.
At the same time, there’s something to be said for Lauda’s disciplined approach to the sport. He’s more consistent when it comes to winning, he doesn’t spend a lot of time basking in his victories and when he gets married, you can see a legitimate connection between them.
To Lauda, Formula One racing isn’t a game but an art form. Ultimately, we can surmise that Lauda is more passionate about the sport itself; he’s more dedicated, whereas Hunt is more of a thrill seeker and a showman.
Bruhl injects sly wit into his performance, and even though Lauda remains unlikable for much of the movie, you can’t take your eyes off of him.
The filmmakers immerse us into this intense and exciting environment. Howard and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (Danny Boyle’s regular cinematographer) utilize hand-held cameras — a lot of them, apparently. There are cameras all over the place: in the air, in the crowds, on the racetrack and about six or seven attached to the cars alone (there are a number of point-of-view shots).
Howard keeps the picture going at a breezy pace, and the editing by Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill is fast-paced. The film zips from one scene to another with so much kinetic force that it’s exhilarating. You can almost smell the burnt rubber and exhaust and hear the engines roar.
Besides the rivalry, Peter Morgan’s (“The Queen”) multilayered screenplay addresses a number of other issues associated with Formula One, such as the impersonality of the sport. More importantly, the film addresses the very real danger connected with racing. For as fun and freewheeling (again, no pun intended) as the movie can be, Howard takes this aspect extremely seriously. As we see later on, accidents can happen and serious injuries can occur.
However, everything goes back to Hunt and Lauda. It’s absolutely mesmerizing watching them, as they take shots at each other at races or at press conferences, as they interact with their spouses and crewmembers and seeing what motivates them on and off the racetrack. You may be rooting for them one minute or detesting them the next, but no matter what, they always keep your interest.
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