Rush - B+

Rated R, 123 minutes

Compelling, fast-paced "Rush" should please those looking for one

Chris Hemsworth

Ron Howard's fast-paced, often thrilling new film "Rush" is a story about men and their cars, made better by the fact it's a true story. It's a big-screen re-creation of the merciless mid-1970s rivalry between European Formula One racers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl), focusing on the 1976 season that would forever change their lives. "Rush" is directed by Oscar-winner Howard and written by his "Frost/Nixon" scribe Peter Morgan, who won an Oscar for "The Queen." Both compelling and breathless, it will exceed your expectations of a movie about racing and is appealing even to those who don't have an interest in the sport. Unsurprisingly, the best reason to see "Rush" is the hair-raising, sublimely recreated race car scenes throughout the film, which will truly give audiences a rush, while it's less effective off the track. Howard does nicely contrast the two competitors, the brash Hunt versus the intense Lauda, though it's interesting as to who audiences will connect with. A slimmed-down Hemsworth is serviceable and given first billing as Hunt, but it's German-actor Bruhl, seen in "Inglourious Basterds," who is the most memorable in a breakout performance as Lauda. The smart but unlikable Austrian race car driver (who's still living) becomes the heart of the movie, with a personal story that resonates much more than Hunt's does, especially following a brutal, disfiguring car crash. The handsome but blandly likable Hemsworth, best known as Marvel Comics' Thor, is the main reason the film occasionally falters, particularly in "Rush's" early and middle sections, when it focuses on his first marriage to Suzy, played by Olivia Wilde (seen to better effect in the current rom com "Drinking Buddies"), a distraction that slows the film too much. "Rush's" rousing but slightly overlong last act is its best though that final lap could've easily come a lot earlier. A pleasant surprise, the stirring, intense "Rush," with impressive first-rate photography and music by Oscar winner Anthony Dod Mantle ("Slumdog Millionaire") and Hans Zimmer ("The Dark Knight"), respectively, along with solid script and direction, is one of the early fall's better films and comes recommended. Also, watch the final shots for actual (though brief) footage of the real men and their races.

Wes's Grade: B+