"Rush" at Durham Library Thursday

Movie Notes by Don Bourret

Rush is the name of the movie, and a rush is what you constantly get throughout this two-hour chronicle of the 1976 Formula One racing circuit. You don’t have to give a hoot about Formula One Racing; you don’t even have to know anything about it. Just sit back and go along for the roller-coaster ride that Director Ron Howard and his team have created for your intense enjoyment.

This true story centers on the fierce rivalry between two legendary drivers that could not have been more different in their approaches to the sport. James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) was a brash, charming, hedonistic British playboy willing to take any risk to earn the title of World Champion. In contrast, socially inept Austrian Niki Ruda (Daniel Bruhl) coveted that prize just as much but was cool and calculating and approached each race and challenge with scientific precision. Their tug-of-war competition binds the film together as we follow the grand prix races around the world: Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, etc., each race more extreme and more dangerous than the last.

Howard tells you all you need to know about Formula One racing, probably more than you want: its rivalries, complex financing, engineering innovations, labyrinthine rules and passionate loyalty of the fans. But most importantly, he puts you in the driver’s seat. Through the artistry of his direction, he causes you to feel what the antagonists are feeling, as he has in many of his other films: Backdraft (fire fighters), Apollo 13 (astronauts), Cinderella Man (boxers), etc. He never lets too much exposition or story line get in the way of the high-powered emotional experience coming your way in the next race. His rapid-fire camera work and editing cuts – in the car, behind the car, from the fans’ views or helicopter shots, flashing on an oil leak or wobbly tire – you are constantly in the thick of it, including one really horrific flaming crash. This is visceral filmmaking at its best, no thinking required, just feeling.

In the DVD’s Bonus Feature, Howard explained what contributed to the movie’s sense of extreme spontaneity. As they followed the races around the circuit, they always had only one chance at capturing any given scene or event or shot. These were real races and there would be no re-shoots to get something they missed. Get it or forget it! This made for many very intense days; but, Howard hastens to add, they were an awful lot of fun.

See the movie and share that fun. Then check out James Hunt and Niki Ruda on the Internet to see how they fared after that fabled year.