Rush isn’t just a good racing movie. It’s an excellent film, period.
Ron Howard pumps adrenaline straight into your veins with rivalry, risk, and high-stakes racing. The cinema and storytelling make the audience feel the intensity and danger of every race. Drivers are horribly disfigured and even die, forcing characters to stare their own mortality down every time they sit behind the wheel. Each character responds differently as they grapple with the peril of doing what they love. I didn’t expect to enjoy this movie, but the true story of Niki Lauda and James Hunt, told with Howard’s powerful realism and grit, was incredibly captivating. The racing scenes are beautifully filmed and framed with compelling character-driven storytelling. Be wanted, the R-rating results in some nudity and sex scenes, but if you are willing to fast forward or skip ahead, the rest of the film is worth it. I mean, Thor vs. Baron Zemo in race cars? What’s not awesome about that?