But it did happen, despite all my previous convictions of why this movie wouldn't. And thank goodness this movie did happen. Arguably an all-star line-up of people behind the scenes with Howard as director, screen writer Peter Morgan who wrote The Queen, Frost/Nixon and The Damned United to name a few and the score composed by Hans Zimmer who résumé includes The Lion King, Gladiator, The Dark Knight and Inception, the film had all the piece off screen to make for a great movie. The on-screen talent did not disappoint either. It wasn't an all-star cast of award winners but it was the right cast. Most have not heard of Daniel Brühl unless they have seen Inglourious Basterds or on an off chance saw Good Bye Lenin! but he nailed the role of Lauda. Chris Hemsworth fits into the role of the playboy James Hunt so well and together the Hemsworth-Brühl combination portrays the rivalry as if the actors themselves hated each other.
The movie develops into the 1976 season. From each starting in Formula Three to Hunt's early days at Hesketh and Lauda's season at BRM. The one underlying theme in the movie and rightfully so is money. Both came from it, both needed it and that is true more now than ever for those in racing. Even as glorious as racing seemed in the 1970s, it was the start of commercialization of F1. Gone are the British racing green Lotus, hello John Player. Big sponsors created the dominant teams, Tyrrell had Elf, McLaren had Marlboro, Brabham had Martini and that is still true today. Hesketh could give Hunt a car capable of running up front on occasion but ultimately money kept Hunt from competing at the top full time with Hesketh. Rush creates a great Formula One trilogy with Grand Prix and Senna, from the simple but dangerous days of the 1960s to Rush and the start of Formula One becoming the money machine in the 1970s to the 1980s and 1990s when Formula One had firmly established it's place on the global stage.
Rush has the feel of both Grand Prix and Senna. Unlike recent racing films, Rush is shot like Grand Prix and Le Mans. You can feel as if you are actually on-board a car riding along. The speed feels real and in this day of everything being computer generated, thank God. The music, when it's not a sampling of some of the great rock from the 1970s, immediately reminded me of Senna. The beautiful instrumental pieces that complement a scene so well. Even some of the flashbacks in Rush will remind you of the flashbacks of Senna's career during his funeral.
Finally, if there is one thing Rush has made me realize is we will never see a movie as well made as Grand Prix ever again. When you watch Rush, forget everything you know about F1, the 1976 season, what each race track looks like and the so on. You may realize Circuit Paul Ricard looks a lot like Brands Hatch. Deal with it. The same is true with some other places but no one would have approved a budget to allow Howard to go to each and every track from the 1976 season. As much as I would have loved to see the actual Watkins Glen and the actual Monza, you mind as well have bought HRT before they closed shop and ran a full season filming a movie based off the HRT teams experience. That's how much it would have of cost.
Grand Prix was filmed at the right time when it was possible to follow the Formula One road show. Not to mention how easier it was, due to the amount of races. Following the F1 across nine rounds, with the first seven occurring in Europe and final two in the US and Mexico is much easier than having to recreate a sixteen race schedule that goes from Brazil to South Africa to the US to Europe for ten rounds, back to North America for Canada and Watkins Glen and then to Japan. Not to forget mentioning most tracks don't look the same way as they did in 1976. Interlagos has changed, Kyalami has drastically changed, Zandvoort is completely different. The only tracks that remotely resemble what they looked like in 1976 are Mosport, Watkins Glen, Brands Hatch, the Nordschleife part of the Nürburgring and maybe Anderstorp and Zolder. Grand Prix benefited from having all of Formula One being on board. Where else can you find a piece of video with Bruce McLaren, Jochen Rindt, Dan Gurney, Graham Hill all in the same room? Grand Prix, in a sense, was real but the results of the 1966 season was fictionalize.
I'm not sure where Rush goes on the list of all-time great racing movies. ESPN/Grantland's Bill Simmons said it was his favorite sports movies in years. I agree with him about that, especially when it comes to recent racing films, but when it comes to the all-time great racing movies it will need some time. Here is what it will come down to: In five years when it's a rainy Saturday in early March or Christmas Day and I need something to fill the time between opening presents and dinner, what racing movie will I grab? As of today, Grand Prix is still on top. Le Mans is second and the rest of the list gets a little bunched up. I think it'd take Rush over Winning but I'm not sure if I'd take it over Senna. If it's Christmas and my nieces are over then Cars will probably be selected and I would oblige (Turbo will not be on the shelf in case you are wondering). If anything, it is a good thing that I have so many options.
