I always say that it takes a special true story to make you leave the cinema feeling amazed at something you knew, or cared, little about. I know a fair bit about modern F1 racing, but the history of such is mainly a blur to me. The recent documentary Senna was the first glimpse into a legacy of race stars at a time when F1 was a very different sport. Ayrton Senna was the last to die in a car in 1994, and before then a common statistic was that two drivers every year would die in a grand prix race. A startling fact, but a great backdrop for a story. Going back 20 years earlier to the mid-seventies, we see one of the greatest rivalries the sport has known between the hot-headed Brit James Hunt, and the ever efficient Austrian Niki Lauda.
Just like me I imagine most had never heard of either of these gentlemen, potentially Lauda simply for his crash during the German Grand Prix which left him quite severely scarred. That famous crash was on a day in which the race should never really have gone ahead. Yet because the title championship was so close, James Hunt and the other drivers voted to go ahead on an extremely wet day, and the travesty that happened subsequently lay its entire blame in that vote. This was just one extreme example of the competitive relationship between Hunt and Lauda, two people who valued themselves as Gods, but the other as the only one to challenge their divine right that was the World Championship.
Both Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl are brilliant in their respected roles, and each resembles the polar opposite of the other. Hemsworth especially embodies his character with all his chauvinistic might and is instant audience favourite. Yet because of Ron Howard's clever screen time, Bruhl's Lauda after his crash garners the sympathy of the audience greatly. We jump between each person's lives so that we grow to love both, and that love is tested in the penultimate race for the championship, which leaves you on the edge of your chair simply because you just don't know who to root for.
Howard's film shines most in the race scenes, with a preference for fast editing leaving you out of breath and fully enveloped in the sights and sounds of it all. It's a true testosterone fueled ride that doesn't let up, leaving something for every film fan to enjoy. Race fans will love it for the accuracy of the history and the respect it gives to both characters, and the ending is a great sentiment to both Lauda who narrates the end, and Hunt who's lifestyle choices led him to an early grave. Though the film achieves in its ability to draw in the mainstream viewer, allowing them to sit back and enjoy with laughs and smiles, then tear it up with some death defying racing. It's a true cinematic achievement.
Director: Ron Howard
Run Time: 123 Minutes
Nationality: United Kingdom/United States
IMDB Rating: 8.3
My Grade:
A
Just like me I imagine most had never heard of either of these gentlemen, potentially Lauda simply for his crash during the German Grand Prix which left him quite severely scarred. That famous crash was on a day in which the race should never really have gone ahead. Yet because the title championship was so close, James Hunt and the other drivers voted to go ahead on an extremely wet day, and the travesty that happened subsequently lay its entire blame in that vote. This was just one extreme example of the competitive relationship between Hunt and Lauda, two people who valued themselves as Gods, but the other as the only one to challenge their divine right that was the World Championship.
Both Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl are brilliant in their respected roles, and each resembles the polar opposite of the other. Hemsworth especially embodies his character with all his chauvinistic might and is instant audience favourite. Yet because of Ron Howard's clever screen time, Bruhl's Lauda after his crash garners the sympathy of the audience greatly. We jump between each person's lives so that we grow to love both, and that love is tested in the penultimate race for the championship, which leaves you on the edge of your chair simply because you just don't know who to root for.
Howard's film shines most in the race scenes, with a preference for fast editing leaving you out of breath and fully enveloped in the sights and sounds of it all. It's a true testosterone fueled ride that doesn't let up, leaving something for every film fan to enjoy. Race fans will love it for the accuracy of the history and the respect it gives to both characters, and the ending is a great sentiment to both Lauda who narrates the end, and Hunt who's lifestyle choices led him to an early grave. Though the film achieves in its ability to draw in the mainstream viewer, allowing them to sit back and enjoy with laughs and smiles, then tear it up with some death defying racing. It's a true cinematic achievement.
Director: Ron Howard
Run Time: 123 Minutes
Nationality: United Kingdom/United States
IMDB Rating: 8.3
My Grade:
A
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