This is Derbyshire --Damon Smith gives his verdict on this week's big cinema release, the F1 drama Rush.
TO truly excel in a chosen field, you need to be challenged, pushed to the limit of human endurance to find previously untapped reserves of strength and courage.
For this reason, sport is littered with bitter rivalries between incredible champions, whose desire to win – regardless of the consequences and the physical risks – inspires awe and devotion.
Take, for example, the battle of athleticism and skill between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe which electrified tennis courts, replicated in the women's game by the showdowns between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.
Some of the fiercest rivalry, though, has been contested on Formula 1 racetracks. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost famously clashed in and out of their supercharged machines, compelling the French driver to declare that "Senna wanted to destroy me".
During the 1970s, rubber burnt and tempers frayed between two drivers: charismatic ladies' man James Hunt and Austrian speed fiend Niki Lauda.
Their daredevil duels reached a horrifying crescendo at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring when Lauda's Ferrari burst into flames.
Six weeks later, Lauda emerged from hospital with extensive scarring, determined to prevent Hunt from claiming the chequered flag at Monza.
This incredible story of courage and resilience is dramatised in Rush, Ron Howard's superb biopic that charts the rivalry between Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) from their early days through to the glamour of the Formula 1 circus. The two men have very different approaches to their craft. Hunt relishes the trappings of fame, proposing to his first wife, model Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde), on the spur of the moment, then allowing excesses to poison their relationship and drive her into the arms of Richard Burton. Lauda is devoted to testing, working his mechanics into the ground to shave a few hundredths off lap times at the expense of personal relationships.
So when he falls madly in love with Marlene Knaus (Alexandra Maria Lara), he fears the repercussions.
"Happiness is the enemy. It weakens you. Suddenly, you have something to lose," he declares.
Turbo-charged by stirring performances from Hemsworth and Bruhl, Rush is a riveting evocation of an bygone era. An uplifting story of admiration and friendship purrs beneath the bonnet of Howard's direction.
Screenwriter Morgan selects the choicest cuts of the facts for the big screen, including horrific scenes at the hospital where a badly burnt Lauda drifts in and out of consciousness but still musters enough strength to growl: "Tell the priest to get lost. I'm still alive!"
RATING: 8.5/10
CERTIFICATE: 15
SHOWING AT: Showcase, Cinema de Lux, the Odeon and Quad in Derby and Cineworld in Burton Reported by This is 15 hours ago.