Rush

There's a different sport for everyone. Some love the intensity of Football while others love the intensity and precision of Hockey. Baseball is beloved for it's desire for accuracy and aim, not very unlike Tennis which is more aggressive. But there's one thing that all sports have in common: The Red Sox & the Yankees. Frazier & Ali. Packers & the Bears. Every sport has their own rivalry and Formula 1 is known for one of the greatest rivalries in sports history: James Hunt & Niki Lauda.

The 1970's were the golden age for Formula 1 racing. All the drivers were calender models with a need for speed. This was fortunate news for the handsome Englishman James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth), whose love for racing was only slightly matched with his love for racing. Unfortunately for the Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl), his looks weren't attracting Formula 1's attention. His lack of a playboy lifestyle was more than made up for with his brilliant understanding of cars and what makes them run. After Lauda is accepted into Formula 1, Hunt does whatever he can to race alongside the Austrian and prove he is better than him. The rivalry between Hunt and Lauda stretched across years, but the racing season of 1976 would change both racers forever. Some race for fame. Others race for passion. But regardless of who you are, you always race to win.

Ron Howard's newest film is something of a question mark. Had Rush came out in the late 90's-early 20's, it would have been a celebrated blockbuster, still being mentioned to this day. Finding a spot on the shelf right after all the superhero and major franchise action movies draw to a close, Rush is a blip on the radar. That's not to say it isn't worth mentioning: It boasts the best performance both Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl have offered. But with Gravity following just a week behind and Paul Greengrass' Tom Hanks picture, Captain Phillips a week behind that, it's an unfortunate week to unveil the capturing of Formula 1's greatest rivalry. Release date aside, Howard does the smartest thing possible with his racing drama and puts his characters at the front of the picture. The racing shots, while exhilarating, are fairly minimal for a picture titled Rush. However, this allows both Hemsworth and Bruhl to breathe life into their characters and give audiences a reason to care as to who they want to win. Hemsworth's James Hunt is a fantastic driver but has a soft spot for beautiful women and a glass full of liquor, which, at times, distracts him from his target. Bruhl plays Niki Lauda as the Mark Zuckerberg of the racing world: Arrogant yet brilliant beyond his years, unable to find a way to appropriately communicate his abilities to the world without waving his own flag for all to see. Both characters have plenty to love about them and just as many traits to despise their presence. It's this chemistry between not only Hemsworth and Bruhl but anyone they interact with that keeps Rush an exhilarating story to watch unfold.

However, as I briefly mentioned before, Fast & Furious 7 Rush is not. A majority of the runtime may unfold while cars are being discussed or even sat in, but very little of the two hour film is spent on the racetrack. This isn't a major issue, as the acting is never stale enough to sway the audience into wanting more high-speed races, but the advertising for Rush will definitely steer some people into different expectations. However, if you're familiar with the actual rivalry between Hunt and Lauda, you know that the real action take place off of the track.

Rush is Ron Howard's first film since 2011's confusing and universally-shrugged The Dilemma and while it's a nice return to form for Howard, the cinematography had me a bit baffled for the first hour. Howard has been on the front of many advertising campaigns for cameras and their sleek look, even saying he'll make films with the cameras. There's a significant amount of grain and just overall bland tendencies in the filmmaking at times. However, once we get to the infamous season of 1976, things begin to shift as Howard introduces some sleek scene-cuts and begins filming inside helmets and capturing metaphors between the racers and their cars. Howard doesn't lose any credibility as a director for his work in Rush. In fact, given the performances he collected from everyone involved, especially his two leading men, it's easy to argue that Howard is delivering exactly what he needs to deliver to bring the story home.

Full of excitement, drama and brilliant, career-making performances, Rush is a thrilling, masterful look at what shapes a rivalry and what it can do to a man. Ladies, Hemsworth has gets pretty naked. Gentlemen, there's plenty of cars and Olivia Wilde. I'd say we got a win-win on our hands. Judging from last week's Prisoners and the following weeks to come, I'd say the Fall season of true drama cinema is here and Rush is a great way to kick it off. Even if it is smaller in size and scale.