Ron Howard directs this pulse-pounding true story about hard-driving Formula One rivals James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl), whose clashes both on and off the racetrack made the 1976 season one of the most thrilling and memorable in the sport’s history.
Standing at the absolute pinnacle of auto racing, Formula One holds a unique position in the world of sport. Ruggedly glamorous and immensely popular, it is the place where the international jet set comes to be rapt and to be seen. A nail-biting thrill ride and a hi-octane drama, Rush, the latest from director Ron Howard, hurtles us into this world and the fascinating personalities that populate it.
Rush revisits one of the most thrilling seasons in Formula One history: that of 1976, when two young drivers contested fiercely on and off the track. Austria's Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl, also appearing at the Festival in Gala Presentation The Fifth Estate), the reigning world champion, was cool, detached, methodical; a kind of Teutonic metronome, perceived as being ruthlessly efficient but colourless. Across the grid from him was Englishman James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth), the swashbuckling, hard-living, carousing blond playboy who looked every inch the part. What turned their duel into the stuff of legend was the ferocity with which they competed — literally to the edge of death.
Working from an aerodynamic script from star screenwriter Peter Morgan (The Queen, The Last King of Scotland), Howard captures all the ups and downs of this mesmerizing racing season, and gets behind the visors of both men to reveal their deepest fears and ambitions. Brühl is sensational as Lauda, while Hemsworth matches him gear for gear as the charismatic Hunt.
With Rush, Howard has once again used popular history as a vehicle for powerful drama. And — the recreations of the cars and races are astounding!
Screenings
Scotiabank 1
Roy Thomson Hall
Ryerson Theatre