I happened to be in Vancouver when I went to see Rush. Driving through a huge rainstorm in order to make the theatre in time to see this movie, I later appreciated what it is to drive at high speeds through rain when I was driving at a low speed through a rain storm, (the only other time I have driven through such rain was in Florida).
I arrived at the theatre, in time but damp from the rain from the car to the theatre and sat back to watch Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl as Niki Lauda battle it out to become World Champion road driver in 1976.
Ron Howard has the reputation of making 'good' movies. Ones in which the story flows and the action is good. Ron Howard manages to maintain the same throughout Rush. My attention never wandered throughout. The driving scenes were magnificent and I found myself having a new admiration for racing car drivers and what they do.
The story line is primarily between these two very different men competing. One living emotionally and driven to become the top driver, the other more intellectual, where everything is planned, but emotionally shut down, even with his relationship. At the end you felt with the postscript that James Hunt died in his 40's, while Niki Lauda is still alive today, scars from the crash still visible on his face, that James Hunt lived. He lived totally, in the moment, and although dying young he achieved what he came to do - live.
Even the supporting women in this movie were appropriately cast, Olivia Wilde as Suzy Miller, the model James Hunt marries who divorces him and later marries Richard Burton and Alexandra Maria Lara who as Marlene Lauda played the elegant wife of Niki Lauda.
I left the movie, glad the rain storm was just about gone, and especially glad that I had gone to see it. Did seeing this movie make a huge difference to me, no, but it did give me an understanding of a bit of history, and especially made me aware of what racing car drivers actually go through.
3 1/2 out of 5.
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