There aren’t that many movies based on motor sports that I can consider them good. I guess it is always a balance between what a good movie consists of as well as whether you are a fan of motor sports. The last movie I thought was interesting starred Sylvester Stallone in Driven and that has been a good 12 years.
Just recently I finally manage to catch the movie “Rush” starring Chris Hemsworth (think Thor). It is based on a true story and it featured the rivalry between James Hunt, a strong willed and wild British racing car driver and the methodological and technical Niki Lauda. A real contrast in characters but it all boiled down to who was faster on the track.
A movie about Formula 1 in the past, truly an eye opener. I was never much of a Formula 1 fan till the days of Michael Schumacher in his Benetton and when I was in the UK. Now, I just catch the highlights of each race. Just watching the movie did make me see the vast differences in terms of how safety was taken into account then, the kind of cars they have to drive and how automated everything seems to have reached in Formula 1.
You won’t see a driver having bloody palms because the knob on his gear stick had fallen off nor will you see the Nurburgring being used in the Formula 1 race. Safety wise, the crash depicted shows a very real side to the amount of risk a racing car driver takes. It does show a great difference when comparing professional athletes, say between a football player and a race car driver. That difference is that at every game match, the football player doesn’t go in expecting to risk their lives compared to race car drivers who have to shoulder that risk, each race, each qualifying and each time they push their vehicles to the very limit of grip on the track in multiple weather conditions.
With the recent turmoil going about in Formula 1 where Bernie Ecclestone just recently stepped down from the Formula 1 board for bribery charges in Germany, watching the movie does show the other side of formula one, from funding issues, technical issues and many many more. But just watching the passion people put into the sport is rather inspiring.
I know this movie was released amidst a lot of other blockbuster but it is now my favourite motor sport movie. If you have the chance, do try to watch the movie. I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
*This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Autofreaks.Net
