INITIAL THOUGHTS
This. This is what going to the movies is all about. You cannot often replicate the feeling of adrenaline, emotion, and triumph all in a 2.5 hour span that F1 portrayed on screen. This has star power all over. Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem leading the way of the old school, while Damson Idris ushers in the new school star look and vibe that will get him so many roles following. We got a believable love story that doesn’t try too hard to take over the movie between Brad and Kerry Condon. Incredible chemistry from those two. And in turn, Idris and Pitt showcase an amazing rollercoaster of cooperation and tension leading them to the biggest win in F1 history, and biggest win for Sonny Hayes that capped off a lifetime of what if and nomading around at random raceways. The shots of the race and action were so well done I can’t say anything bad about it. They felt intense, felt realistic and let you soak in the race while getting you to the finish line. This film is where you get the incredible mix of great dialogue, great character development, great action and camera angles to capture such action. Whoever called it Top Gun Maverick on wheels had the right intention and direction, but I think it falls just slightly short of living up to what Top Gun Maverick was, but it’s damn close.
STAR POWER DOESN’T FADE WITH PITT, AND STARTS WITH IDRIS
This film knows exactly how to use Brad Pitt. An older star that people still gravitate too and has more charisma than 90% of Hollywood. The film is helped a ton with the classic veteran vs rookie storyline involving Damson Idris who also exudes charisma to a high level like a young Brad Pitt did. He has swag, jokes, speaks confidently, and has the look of a megastar with his character on screen. The back and forth between these two are well orchestrated and whether they are just casually chatting or in a heated exchange, you get something out of each scene that adds to these characters and their story arcs. Brad Pitt still has it in every which way possible as well. Plays the old timer extremely well. Well time delivery on jokes and lines feel impactful and believable every time he talks, which I have always loved about him in big roles. Idris is being considered apparently for taking over as The Black Panther, which would be a home run if he was to take on that role in my opinion. I could see him excelling in a role like that he can make his own and take the next step in his career. He already proved to be extremely dynamic in F1, he has a lot more in the tank to give the film industry and working on set with a legend like Brad Pitt only helped.
YOU’RE NOT GOING TO SEE MUCH BETTER CINEMATOGRAPHY THAN THIS F1 SHOWCASE
There are so many different shots to highlight throughout this film. Overall it is insane how the film uses broad shots, close ups, inverted, and POV shots to accomplish the feeling of you being on the race track with them and also at times being a spectator at the race. This really helps immerse us viewers in the experience of the races and feel connected to the results and characters. The opening race really sets us up as we get close up battling in the race, then an arial long range shot of the fireworks going off as the cars raced by. Big time summer blockbuster vibes off the rip with this shot. There are a lot of other fun shots but I’m going to focus on the race elements since those were the most impressive and if I say all I want about the cinematography this section will be 100,000 words.
Then we get the close up shots of the drivers in the F1 cars and what I love is we only get the two main characters really on closeups in their car. Knowing this is a hyper-focus on the character and their battle in the race and no reason to dilute it with those they are racing against. Just the focus on the stars and their battle in the race. This angle is used extremely well, but my favorite types of shots in the film are the POV of the racer, and then the shots that are not from too far away but show the race car coming towards the camera and then it transitions to following the car. Just an awesome transition shot showing progression of the race. However the POV shot where we are in the car with the driver and seeing what they see feels euphoric in a way that playing a simulator or video game did and immerses you to a different level. This being used made me feel so connected to the film’s race sequences and especially Sonny’s “flying” sequence at the tail end. The cinematography elevated this film to another level, and the fact we had so many races and these shots just being a constant throughout the film even in the races we breeze over was so important. It also made long races of runtime feel like they were paced well and never made a race scene feel too long throughout, which kept everyone engaged and on the edge of their seat no matter the race.
SUPPORTING CAST ACTING LIKE PIPPEN AND RODMAN TO PITT/IDRIS AS A COMBINED MJ
To round out this fantastic film, you have to have a great supporting cast. When your supporting cast is headlined by Javier Bardem, you know you are doing it right. Then add in the love interest of Sonny being Kerry Condon and you have a supporting cast that can advance all the other plot details with flawless execution. I’m also still not convinced that Kerry Condon isn’t just Rebecca Ferguson. Never seen them in the same room. The resemblance is uncanny. Javier speaks for himself. He is the lead in one of the best thrillers ever made in No Country For Old Men and being the loyal friend of Sonny here knowing he has it in him to help not only the team succeed and win, but help Sonny achieve his lifelong dream of winning F1. These characters made this movie so much more than the races. Javier’s character added drama and depth to Sonny’s past that we got flashes of, and humanized Sonny as there was someone there that cared about his well being and him not dying on the track. Kerry as Kate pushed the narrative along that was established early, they needed a car that could win. And she built that, emphasizing how unique she was and how important she is to the success of the races, not just an eventual love interest. Their insertion and contributions to the overall story were perfect and made everything work even better.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is my number #2 film of the year. Would be #1 but Sinners was that damn good. This shows Brad Pitt still has it and still can headline an entire big film release while doing numbers as the big name. Not that he lost it, just that it cements just how insanely big time he is. Idris proves himself to be an upcoming A-lister in my opinion and will get tons of opportunities following this to hold the reins on big budget films to come. The action is just stuff you dream of. No cheap bullshit. Real, raw, racing action that puts you on the track feeling every bump, turn, and emotion of the driver. So well done. Then just drop Javier and Kerry in there, that respectively have been part of some of the most critically acclaimed movies in history, adding F1 as a notch on the belt to that resume. Remarkable job by Joseph Kosinski as well to follow up Top Gun Maverick with this kind of a banger. I’ll be watching this over and over when available on streaming to purchase.
The Cinema Speakeasy Theatre Room 
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