"If my films don't show a profit, I know I'm doing something right."
- Woody Allen
I am not a Woody Allen fan, but that doesn't take away from how much I respect his craft. I thought of this quote when walking out of this Howard movie last night. I am not knocking blockbuster big features, in fact, I tend to love them. BUT there is a place when the directing creativity no longer shows through because all concepts have already been bought and paid for. Maybe I am becoming old school here, but Ron Howard directed The Paper, and Willow for crying out-loud.
I am not sure that more success equals more success.
This was a BIG budget film that pulled out all the stops; even the word big seems small here. Every effect I even knew existed was in a scene of this movie. Now that I live in a Formula One town and have experienced that crowd, I can see that the target audience will definitely be reached. F1's followers if nothing else, have deep pockets.
The true story of how these two men's racing rivalry fueled their careers and their lives is captivating. Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) and James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) met with immediate disdain as young men while racing Formula 3. Hunt, a British playboy, loved the thrill, the risk, and what rewards he got off the track from being on the track. There could never be enough money, woman, booze or adoration for Hunt. Lauda, a cold Austrian, renounced his family's wealth to be a racetrack driver. He was mechanically intelligent, calculated, and had no desire for the fanfare or limelight. The polarity in these two's personalities and what put them in the seat was still out shown by their one thing in common....their skill in the drive.
The movie follows through their lives as each enters Formula One, gets married, and has numerous wins and losses to the other. One rainy, raceday on a German track, Lauda calls a meeting to propose canceling the race due to the poor weather conditions making the track too dangerous. Hunt sways the group to vote in favor of the race being continued. This particular race, Lauda has a devistating crash and is stuck in his car aflame for over a minute. He goes from fighting for his life in intensive care to being back on the track in 42 days.
Off season Hunt says to Lauda, "I feel responsible for what happened."
Lauda replies, "Trust me. Watching you win those races while I was fighting for my life, you were equally responsible for getting me back in the car."
This is why this was a good movie. People. People are mysterious and incredible.
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