Ron Howard’s biographical action movie “Rush” delivers everything in the title plus more. “Rush” is based on one of the biggest Formula 1 rivalries of all time and celebrates James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the height of their feud. What started as a petty measuring contest during a Formula 3 race in 1970 turned into an all out battle of nemeses.
Throughout their Formula 1 careers, Lauda was known for his technical precision, hard work ethic, and being, well, kind of an asshole. Hunt, on the other hand, was known for being carefree, an aggressive driver, and also kind of an asshole. Together they pushed each other to the limit until Lauda suffered from a terrible accident at the Nurburgring in 1976. A control arm broke on Lauda’s Ferrari and he crashed into the guard rail which immediately set his car on fire. Lauda suffered from third degree burns on his head and toxic fumes in his lungs. Over the next 6 weeks, Lauda watched Hunt dominate the races in his McLaren until, against the doctor’s orders, he returned to the track to ensure he was the 1976 Formula 1 champion.
“Rush” is two hours of fast paced action and very cinematic F1 racing. It is also filled with endless amounts of classic automotive advertising and cars. Ron Howard does a great job of portraying the movie from both perspectives of the two racers so that, by the end, you don’t know who you’re cheering for. Both Lauda and Hunt may have started as enemies but without each other, neither would have succeeded.