RUSHed

By Simon

I snuck off to have a secret rendezvous with RUSH on Saturday afternoon.  I went to see it at a small theater where I could enjoy the film with no one around.  I have to say I enjoyed the film but I didn’t love it.  It’s a fascinating story and I came away unsatisfied in some ways because the movie glossed over a bunch of stuff in an attempt to cover a wider story.  I wish they'd focused on the ’76 season with some poignant flashbacks or made it into a mini-series to tell the whole tale.  My general feeling was the film felt a little disjointed because people didn’t quite decide what was relevant or not. That said, I give it a solid 600bhp out of a 1,000bhp on the motorsport movie scale.

However, here are a few things I enjoyed from watching the movie.

1.       Didn’t know Nikki Lauda was so single minded (aka unlikable).
2.       Still found it hard to like James Hunt, but I think I respect him a little more.
3.       The cars were fugly but they looked cool to drive…well, maybe not that 6-wheel Tyrell.
4.       The technology of the 70’s meant the end of the old guard drivers of the 60’s and the start with the likes of Hunt and Lauda.
5.       F1 seemed like a sport where anyone could get a car and team off the ground.
6.       It was nice to see Brands Hatch double as Paul Ricard. 
7.       It was a scary reminder that safety standards have improved a million percent since those times.
8.       Glad to see the rev counter being the front and center in the cars.  In a racecar, your tachometer is your copilot.
9.       I never want my lungs vacuumed…ever.
10.   It made me a little homesick for the pit lane.

The great motor racing movie has yet to be made, but this one is worth checking out.