Movie Scene: Worth revving up for!

ADRENALINE junkies are in for a bit of a treat this week as we end June with Brad Pitt’s labour-of-love ‘F1: The Movie’, the latest in a long line of racing films.

I’m almost embarrassed to outline the plot right now because it’s a tale as old as time. Sonny Hayes (Pitt) is a washed-up, living-in-his-van, former F1 driver, having flamed out due to a near-death accident in his earlier years. When good friend, former rival and now F1 team owner Ruben (Javier Bardem) comes asking Sonny’s help to get the team back on track and mentor an up-and-coming driver in Joshua (Damson Idris) for the latter part of the season, Sonny ups sticks and moves to London to help his old mate.

Let me start by saying; there is literally nothing new about ‘F1: The Movie’; it echoes just about any sports film involving an underdog looking to get a win. That’s not to say it’s a bad one though. Directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger, it follows the well-worn tropes of the genre; persuasion, conflict between people, tension, tragedy and ultimately triumph, with a love angle thrown in for good measure. ‘F1’ skates along on a few decisive factors.

The first one being Pitt. Like him or loathe him, Brad Pitt’s easy-going, ‘Oklahoma farm boy’ charm and demeanour are on full display and he dials it up to eleven. He coasts through the plot machinations; cool and flippant without ever being cocky but is able to get serious when the film requires it. His performance matches up well against Bardem and Idris, the latter acquitting himself well in his first big movie role. Secondly is Kerry Condon as the team’s tough-as-nails technical director Kim and she gives a strong performance, holding her own against the huge egos that inhabit the world, whilst also delivering many a great line into the bargain; one of the bright spots of Kruger’s script.

What would a racing film be without the racing eh? Kosinski, who has proven himself a solid commercial director down the years with ‘Tron: Legacy, ‘Oblivion’, and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, also acquits himself well here. Directing the off-track stuff competently enough, it’s on the track where he shines the most, delivering sharp, thrilling and pulsating driving sequences, ably assisted by cinematographer Claudio Miranda and a great Hans Zimmer score which also has its fair share of hits from artists like Queen, Ed Sheeran and Led Zeppelin.

At two-and-a-half hours, ‘F1’ could have lost thirty minutes easy and has more endings than ‘Return of the King’ but for an adrenaline-rush and 150 minutes of Brad Pitt being Brad Pitt, ‘F1’ is worth revving up for!