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It's the early 1970s, and James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) is the best racer of the Formula 3 circuit, with hopes of getting into Formula 1 eventually - when he stumbles upon fellow driver Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl), in his eyes a talentless upstart whose analytical way of thinking Hunt, the playboy who enjoys life off the racetrack to the fullest can't even begin to comprehend. And then Lauda gets into Formula 1 before him, and even if he has actually bought himself into a team, that shatters Hunt ... until he finds a wannabe team owner, Lord Hesketh (Christian McKay), who hires him to drive his inferior car. And while Hunt tries to gain momentum, Lauda is signed to Ferrari, pushes the declining team by helping them develop the car with his analytical mind, and ultimately wins his first championship in 1975. In 1976, Hunt is signed to Ferrari, and suddenly had a car which could compete with Lauda's Ferrari. Early in the year though, with engine problems, Hunt lags behind ...

It's the race at the Nürburgring in Germany that might be the decider - and Lauda pleads to cancel the race due to heavy rain ... but is outvoted by the other drivers, led by Hunt. And then, in the race, Lauda has a terrible accident and almost burns to death and is actually already given the last rites - but he fights back to health, and seeing Hunt closing the gap in the championship only makes him stronger. And six weeks after his terrible accident he's already racing again, and to everyone's surprise, finishes 4th. In the meantime, Hunt's conscience has set in, as his vote to race almost killed Lauda, and when they meet again, they for the first time find friendly words for one another.

The last race in Suzuka, Japan. Again it's raining like hell, and this time Hunt votes to cancel (even if that would evaporate all the chances to win the championship), but the promoters insist on the race. Lauda retires after just one round though, and Hunt's third place in the race secures him the championship with a 1 point lead over Lauda ...

Now the true story of the rivalry between Lauda and Hunt on the grid was pretty much a movie that wrote itself, and the film actually stays rather close to the facts (even if off the grid Lauda and Hunt actually were friends and shared an admiration for the talents of the respective other) - and that might be the one problem of the movie, at least for an Austrian like me who was pretty much reared with this story: It doesn't offer anything new, any insights, any background that wasn't already out there. Also, apart from Hunt and Lauda, no characters are given any room in this one let alone an arc, and even the two leads are reduced to their rather primal characteristics and flaws. But that said, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl really get the most out of their characters, make them palpable throughout, and what the story lacks in depth it sure makes up for in excitement. And the era the film is set in is very nicely portrayed, with the vintage race cars looking nothing short of amazing. So in essence, it's a good watch, even if no masterpiece by a longshot.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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