By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Buckle your seatbelt for this high octane, pedal to the metal motorsport film. “F1: The Movie” is the summer blockbuster you’ve been waiting for with talented star power, intense racing action, and a director who seems incapable of making a bad film. The story may be simple and straightforward, but at 200+ mph, who really cares?
A floundering Formula 1 race team owned by Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) has finished the first half of the season dead last and is desperate to place, let alone win a race, to keep from being disbanded. So, Ruben recruits Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), an old racing teammate who retired from the sport decades ago after a grueling accident. Feeling immediately threatened by the older racer, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) attempts to prove his dominance over his new teammate.
Unfortunately, their headbutting causes even more issues on the track, but Sonny’s risky driving and unorthodox racing methods give the troubled team a glimmer of hope. Working with Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), the technical director, Sonny helps design a car built for close quarters racing to provide any kind of competitive advantage. With one driver trying to overcome his past and the other trying to overcome his ego, along with life threatening accidents, the odds are stacked against this duo.
After his success with “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022, co-writer/director Joseph Kosinski is perfectly suited for this big budget thrill ride. He brilliantly combines a heartfelt, yet predictable drama with some of the most intense car racing sequences ever filmed. It’s actually very similar to the formula of 1990’s “Days of Thunder,” except with modern technology. In fact, this film was originally pitched as a sequel to that Tom Cruise movie. Despite the occasional liberty Kosinski takes with the rules of the Formula 1 sport, he maintains a commitment to realism, going so far as to film at the various Grand Prix events during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Even some of the horrific crash sequences in the movie are modeled after real-life Formula 1 crashes.
Paired with cinematographer Claudio Miranda, who worked with Kosinski to provide those memorable shots in “Top Gun: Maverick,” the camera work in “F1: The Movie” is stunning. Incredible cockpit shots and unique angles using IMAX cameras put the audience right in the driver’s seat, allowing them to come as close to experiencing the real adrenaline rush of open wheel racing as humanly possible. Coupled with elite level sound mixing, viewers can practically feel the g-forces as the drivers open the throttles down long straightaways only to suddenly break hard as they bank into a tough turn. A great score by Hans Zimmer, who coincidentally scored the last Formula 1 movie “Rush,” along with classic songs like “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin, puts this production over the top in entertainment value.
Much like Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt has that natural charisma that makes his performances leap out from the screen. As he’s gotten older, that wizened squint has become more pronounced, making the audience hang on every word. He’s able to exude the depth of his character without dialogue, showing subtle reactions that speak volumes about his inner thoughts and battles with his character’s past. It helps that the two-time Oscar winner has always had a love for racing, and his passion for the sport contagiously infects his character.
For British actor Damson Idris, this is his biggest role to date, and he provides a fine performance as the young hotshot racer with a lofty ego that makes his character unlikable at times. He balances that nicely with a gradual demonstration of growth in his character as he comes to respect Pitt’s character.
Having an Oscar winner like Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) and an Oscar nominee like Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) in the supporting cast is a nice luxury that adds to the film’s authenticity. The Irish actress, Condon, dazzles as the engineering expert who develops a romantic connection with Pitt’s character. She demonstrates believable chemistry without cheapening her character. Even though the Spanish actor, Bardem, has proven to be an excellent villain, he shows off his range as a former racer turned owner who exudes an equal measure of friendly likability and stressed desperation.
This is one of those popcorn movies that is meant to be seen on an IMAX screen. “F1: The Movie” will have you gripping your armrests and smiling from ear to ear as it travels at breakneck speeds through scenic tracks around the world. You will leave the theater on shaky legs, rubbing the back of your neck from possible whiplash, while wondering if your face is coated with residue rubber from the tires, and you will want to experience it all over again.
This movie earns:
