Since my review of Ford v Ferrari,my views and knowledge of motor racing as a sport have been so unchanged I almost started this review the same way as I did that film. Not sure what that says, but oh well.
Either way, there are not many films out there about the sport of motor racing (and while I’ve only seen two of the films in The Fast and the Furious franchise, I’m confident in saying those don’t count). Regardless, two years after he brought sensational effects with Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski brings that same bravado and care with F1.
This is one of those films that has the nerve to start with a scene that could easily have been the ending of another film. Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) wakes up to finish his round in the Daytona 500, which his team wins. Afterward, he is soon approached by an old friend and teammate, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), currently the owner of the APX F1 racing team. Hayes was once in F1 before a career ending crash in 1993, but Cervantes is desperate, although another board member, Peter Banning (Tobias Menzies), seems a tad less distraught.
Ideas and personalities collide, as Hayes has to deal with new upcoming driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) as a teammate as well as the tech director Kate Mckenna (Kerry Condon). To call this team an underdog is an understatement, especially when you see the strategies used to win. For newbies to the racing world like me, it did at first seem like cheating, but quickly was revealed to be more about guile and chicanery.
I recently heard that Pitt did not approach this character with much (other than his normal charming self), as he was more into the racing sequences (which we will get to). This actually works in the film’s favor, because it gives the right type of vibe that Sonny should have. We learn he is basically a nomad and has had trouble with gambling (as well as past marriages), but still takes to the track both physically and metaphorically. He is a man who lives like he has nothing to lose.
Personally, I may have needed just a tad bit more hand holding through all the racing jargon that is thrown my way, but that is barely a concern when you consider the racing sequences. I truly cannot fathom another film having more authentic car racing on screen, mainly because that there is no real times you can see CGI (I heard the the crowds may have been CGI, but I did not pay attention to it). The scenes were filmed on real race tracks with real drivers (look on Wiki to find out how many Formula 1 drivers and personal are in this film). It is electrifying, fluid filmmaking (it may still be early in the year, but I will be gobsmacked if this film does not get any nominations for at least sound and film editing).
Parents, a friend of mine called this a “true PG-13 movie”, and I agree completely. There is no sex in the film (two characters do hook up, but we don’t see anything), and there is some swearing (at least one F bomb). The action sequences (two crashes, in particular) are rather dramatic and upsetting, so any kid looking into getting into racing can at least see the unfortunate outcomes that may occur.
One thing I fear will be over looked is the script, written by Kosenski and Ehren Kruger (who helped out with Maverick). Some of the dialogue is rather impressively sharp. There is a recurring bit where it becomes clear that Sonny is not in it for the money, but the film is too smart to flat out tell us (for the most part) why he races. When it comes to original films being more about the money, it ends up being rather poignant.
Overall:
Nothing else to say 