RUSH DVD (2013)

SYNOPSIS: Two-time Academy Award® winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon) teams once again with two-time Academy Award®-nominated writer Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) on Rush, a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless and legendary 1970s Formula 1 rivalry between gifted English playboy James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth of The Avengers, Thor) and his disciplined Austrian opponent, Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl of Inglourious Basterds, The Bourne Ultimatum). Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of racing, Rush portrays the exhilarating true story of the charismatic Hunt and the methodically brilliant Lauda, two of the greatest rivals the world of sports has ever witnessed. Taking us into their personal lives and clashes on and off the Grand Prix racetrack, Rush follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Rush miraculously washed away all the bad taste which Stallone left us years ago with his half-baked attempt at producing a Formula 1 inspired movie, Driven.

Based on a true story of Formula 1 champions, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, Rush is a tightly woven tale of friendly rivalry (though it remains debatable during their earlier years) between two passionate drivers who simple love the adrenalin and the high stakes involved. Hunt, the carefree, sex-loving British man while Lauda born into an Austrian privilege family but a true genius when it comes to engines and racing.

All thanks to writer Peter Morgan and director Ron Howard (both who also worked on the superior political drama Frost/Nixon), we get to know how fierce, determined Hunt and Lauda are on the racetracks plus a surface look at their complicated personal lives. While other filmmakers filled their biography with plenty of characters, Howard and Morgan keep things simple on the whole, their focuses never leaving the two main characters throughout the two hours duration.

With a clever mix of CG, vintage cars and sets, we are treated to numerous cleverly shot, exhilarating race sequences courtesy of Oscar winning cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire). It’s a mighty dynamic experience probably the closest you are going to get unless you buy a pricey ticket to the next Formula 1 race here.  Replicating the 70’s settings with rich costumes and lavish details, it’s undeniable layers and layers of eye candy.   

Chris Hemsworth successfully shed off his Thor image to give a stunning performance as the late James Hunt and that includes German actor Daniel Bruhl (The Fifth Estate) who is extremely believable as his real-life counterpart, Niki Lauda. The two actors simply sizzles and surprisingly hotter than all the burning tires combined.

Absolutely one of the finest movies of 2013 and definitely one of Howard’s best movies since Apollo 13, Rush is a genuine, heart-pounding tale of bromance on wheels.  

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The DVD comes up with excellent detailing and imaging. Sound wise, it would have greatly benefited from a 5.1 track given the movie’s bombastic sound effects.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee