Tell me a story

In 1970, there began a rivalry between two incredible Formula One race car drivers. James Hunt (played by Chris Hemsworth) was handsome, in peak physical shape, charismatic, and gifted with a natural ability behind the wheel. Niki Lauda (played by Daniel Brühl) was small, blunt, self-sufficient, fiercely intelligent, and determined. From the moment they met, over the course of the decade that followed, through the personal highs and lows, they pushed each other to be better behind the wheel, while pushing each other’s buttons in every other instance.

Directed by Ron Howard. Written by Peter Morgan.

My Rating

The movie opens in 1976, with Niki Lauda speaking to the audience from the seat of his car at the start of a race. He points out his nemesis, James Hunt, and alludes to the importance of this race. And then, before the flag can drop, we’re taken back in time to see how the rivalry began. As we move forward in time from that moment, we are privy to the perspectives of both men. Both racers get their own voiceovers, and they both display to us their unique strengths and weaknesses. Maybe we root for one over the other, maybe we identify more with one than the other, but there is no villain and no good guy in this story based on true events.

And still the stakes increase with each race. So does our heart-rate. When we finally travel back to the present, to the race that starts the movie, there is so now so much tension and weight (even though the trailers totally ruin the outcome of the race). We know how much winning means to both men, and we know this race is different from all the others they’ve had. It was enough to figuratively bring me to the edge of my seat, literally.
 

One of the many things I loved about this movie is how, when you get to the big races, you feel that both men deserve to win. Sure, I favored Niki Lauda, as he was the more interesting of the two to me, but I liked James Hunt as well. I liked Niki because he was the outsider. In social settings, he was easily the underdog to Hunt. Maybe I relate to that a little bit. He was also proud of his talents in a matter-of-fact way that alienated most of his peers. I found that more interesting than Hunt’s womanizing ways and his innate skill, impressive as it was.

Both men have spouses at different times, and while the women added color to the men’s lives, we end up caring very little about Hunt’s Suzy Miller (played by Olivia Wilde) or Niki’s Marlene Lauda (played by Alexandra Maria Lara). This is a two-man show, without question.
 

Daniel Brühl kills it as Niki Lauda. He imbues him with a remarkable likable dislikability. I don’t know how true to the real Niki Lauda Brühl was, and it doesn’t even matter to me. What matter is that Brühl delivered one of my favorite performances of the year. I didn’t even recognize him as the sniper, Fredrick Zoller, from Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. Way to get lost in a character, Brühl.

Hemsworth also delivers. There’s no doubt he brings a certain charisma to all of his roles, but here it’s put to such good use. You like his James Hunt. You want to party with him and be his friend. (You probably don’t want to marry him.) And as with Brühl, you lose Hemsworth in him, which is not easy considering the guy is also the freaking thunder god, Thor.
 

What a gorgeous movie. The vibrant colors, the use of stark contrasts, the way rain is captured, the ear-busting sounds of the engines, the destructive beauty of the crashes, the smooth editing of the races, the washing out of some of the colors to give it an older feel; everything about this just movie looks, sounds, and feels good.

It took me a significant effort to see this on the big screen (a 45 minute drive with the express purpose of seeing it), and it was well worth it.
 

 
Do I want to see it again?
Yes. Thank you. More please! I’d see it again in theaters right now if it were still playing (especially if it were showing at the AMC Uptown in Cleveland Park).
 

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,”The Prestige: (Thanks to Dave Chen of the Slash Filmcast for this suggestion.) If you’re looking for another movie about a bitter rivalry that shows both sides of the feud, that pits magic against science, that stars Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, and David freaking Bowie, and that is directed by Christopher Nolan, then you have specific tastes, and you should probably watch The Prestige. This one was written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, based on the novel by Christopher Priest. (Buy it on Amazon.com: Streaming, DVD, Blu-ray).”

,”Senna: This is one I also wanted to see in theaters, but I still haven’t watched it yet. It’s a 2010 documentary about the life and death of the Brazilian Formula One racer, Ayrton Senna. It’s supposed to be beautifully made with great use of archival footage. I hear it also features a rivalry as one of its major storylines.. It’s got a 92% rating on RottenTomatoes.com, so take that for what it’s worth. Directed by Asif Kapadia and written (documentaries have writers?) by Manish Pandey. (Buy it on Amazon.com: Streaming, DVD, Blu-ray).”

,”Driven: All right, don’t judge me for this one. I saw it on a Greyhound bus many years ago, back when Greyhound played movies, and I liked it a lot, though I’ve never watched it again. It stars Sylvester Stallone (who also wrote it) as a coach to a young up-and-comer (played by Kip Pardue) in the Champ Car racing circuit. Looking at the preview now, the movie looks a little cheesy, and the action certainly doesn’t hold up when you compare to Rush or any modern day car racing movie. Still, I’m going to recommend it. You might want to try watching it on a Greyhound if possible. Directed by Renny Harlin. Written by Jan Skrentny, Neal Tabachnick, and Sylvester Stallone. (Buy it on Amazon.com: Streaming, DVD, Blu-ray)”
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