Rush

Un trabajo perfecto de Howard, además tiene alma y buenas ideas. El director demuestra que sabe trabajar tanto con la tecnología como con las personas. Sin demasiadas carreras, con enfoque en los personajes. El dúo central son dos locos diametralmente opuestos, pero al mismo tiempo igualmente respetables. Ambos encarnan los arquetipos de los héroes cinematográficos populares de la actualidad: un salvaje al que le gusta la juerga y a la vez seductor jovial versus un intelectual prudente, introvertido y ambicioso. Lo que los une es la adrenalina y el deseo de ganar. Y también una forma especial de amistad. Compiten y, al mismo tiempo, se inspiran mutuamente. Gracias a la dirección de Howard, uno disfruta cada escena, ya sea solo o juntos. Dicen que el guión contiene errores fácticos, y en el metraje me faltó la primera carrera, cuando Hunt se sintió amenazado por Lauda. Pero estos son defectos perdonables en la belleza de una buena película sobre relaciones, con el sabor a goma quemada, que simplemente no nos puede disgustar. La actuación de Daniel Brühl es una de las mejores del año. (16.09.2013)

Después de cuatro meses de espera y después de perder al menos cinco veces la función, finalmente vi a los Rivaliados a los que había estado esperando como un niño pequeño. Regularmente seguía el desarrollo de las críticas, que se mantienen por encima del noventa por ciento después de más de nueve mil revisiones. En la clasificación general está descendiendo gradualmente, pero a largo plazo lo veo en el TOP 20. Su alta calificación es absolutamente merecida. Aunque la película dura dos horas, no deja que el espectador respire ni por un minuto. Ron Howard no molesta con escenas innecesarias. James Hunt y Niki Lauda no me resultan simpáticos, ambos son excelentes corredores que aún pueden ser un ejemplo en términos deportivos y combativos, pero en términos humanos, uno es un idiota arrogante hundido en todos los vicios posibles, el otro es un maniático estirado que renuncia a casi todas las alegrías básicas. Fueron interpretados magistralmente, Hemsworth y Brühl disfrutan de sus roles y juegan un papel importante en la experiencia cinematográfica inolvidable que ofrecen los Rivaliados. Espero que los premios solo se acumulen, les deseo de todo corazón a Brühl en particular. (02.01.2014)

Morgan is the man. He conceives the sleek façade of roaring engines and their tamers in fire-proof overalls as an epic drama, with passionate dialogue and a sense of fair play playing a central role. We get all this in the perfect coat of Ron Howard's directorial tricks, for whom the task of creating an atmospheric visual composition is as demanding as preparing breakfast in the morning. The editing camera orgy and the riveting acting (Daniel Brühl is eyeing the Oscars) are so sovereign for two hours that it smacks a little of (traditional) "Howardian calculus," which entertains you for two hours but, like gasoline vapor, wears off by the second day at the latest. That it leaves a very strong and specific odor, I do not deny. 4 ½. (01.01.2014)

Is it merely a coincidence that Ron Howard did the most masterful work of his career not in Hollywood (which would surely not have allowed so many warts and broken bones protruding from the bodies of injured racers), but in an independent production put together by several smaller studios? Rush is not flawless. You will see the awakening of the two protagonists coming in the numerous circuits, the female characters are passive and serve only for decoration, some of the “deep” dialogue is there only to fill silent gaps, and the attempt at two equally valuable character studies is hindered by the fact that screenwriter Peter Morgan put substantially more work into humanising the monster (the “horror” shots of a mutilated face border on distastefulness) than making the playboy wiser. However, the doubling of narrators and the wringing of tension out of their essentially friendly rivalry (there is no actual bad guy) comprise the main draw of this otherwise generally good but not exceptional film. Two strong characters are a guarantee of sufficient dramatic material throughout the film's two-hour runtime and it is highly probable that you will be left wanting more at the end. Morgan offers enough information about the organisation of races in the 1970s to keep even a person unfamiliar with Formula One in the picture and, at the same time, is very careful not to anger fans of either Hunt or Lauda. In comparison with the similarly structured Crying Fist, whose climax evokes much more ambivalent feelings (because it is about life), the careful manoeuvring of Rush caused me to feel indifferent to who would win, and I thus manoeuvring generally lost interest in what was happening on screen during the final act. Rush probably owes its extraordinary popularity to the fact that everyone ultimately wins in their own way. However, another key factor is undoubtedly the precision of the film’s craftsmanship, thanks to which you perceive the racing sequences hopped up with superbly tuned sound and the fetishistic close-ups of various machine parts with all of your senses. It’s not as immersive as a PlayStation racing game, but comes pretty damned close. 80% (11.10.2013)

This is exactly the kind of film you can successfully recommend to everyone. Rush is, a little paradoxically, a terribly safe movie about a terribly unsafe (at the time) sport. The performances and the direction are great, but unfortunately I can’t share the enthusiasm. It didn’t win my heart. (17.12.2013)