"Rush"

 2013 2h 3min

When I read the description of this film, I thought it would be a total action film--along the lines of “Grand Prix”. However, it’s more of a character study than anything else. It stars Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl as James Hunt and Niki Lauda, two race drivers in pursuit of the 1976 Grand Prix title. While there are a fair share of driving scenes, the film focuses on the two contrasting personalities. Hunt is a shoot-from-the-hip, party animal that loves to carouse and womanize while Lauda is a serious student of racing, and rarely lets his hair down. It’s based on a true story and is extremely well shot and acted. When the end credits rolled and I saw that Ron Howard directed it I thought to myself, “No wonder it was such a well-crafted film. He never disappoints. My only regret s that I didn't see it on the big screen. 

4 out of 5 stars