Side Notes: Rush

I had heard when this film was starting to be developed and I was instantly excited about it. I really enjoy what Ron Howard can do with a film and being a Formula 1 fan, I was interested to see his take of the 1976 Niki Lauda and James Hunt "rivalry"

First off I think Daniel Brühl was right on point with his portrayal of Niki. I had read a bit about how he was very determined and very good at the mechanical aspects of driving and how his approach to Formula 1 was very methodical and precise. He was a good counterpoint to James' non chalance and I love how Ron used these two as a ying and yang of each other. I also liked how he bounced between the narrative of each character as well. It wasn't just the telling from James' side or Niki's. I liked the balance and I felt the flow of the film was absolutely smooth.

The biggest part I loved about the film was the cinematography. Very cool shots of the mechanical bits, the pedals and the shifters and a pretty good viewpoint of what drivers saw back then. It's interesting to see just how much less they had in terms of safety and how simple everything was back then as opposed to now. I could totally get into how back then drivers were more of a part then they are now, but that's for an F1 forum post. I think Niki got it too with a few of his quips to James in the film and the constant reference to how much risk and how "close to death" drivers were at that time.

Anyways, being an F1 fan and a Ron Howard fan I really liked this movie and all of it's parts. I saw a little more edge and growth as a film maker from Ron in this and am really excited to see what he has in store next. I'm disappointed that Rush didn't make it into the awards circuit but sometimes the community will help bring light the great films that don't get as much national attention.