Racing has been extremely prevalent in cinema in recent years, whether it’s the Fast & Furious gang or Lightning McQueen and his automobile buddies in the Cars films. Now, Ron Howard lends his perspective to the world of automobile racing with the biopic Rush.   One of the first films to feature Chris Hemsworth post-”Avengers” fame, the film winds up being a display of good acting from him and co-star Daniel Bruhl, but also showcases some sloppy screenwriting.

James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) fully realizes his limited skill set; he treats everyone around him like trash and constantly speaks with a dash of arrogance. He knows that in any other line of work he’d likely wind up being a major flop. And yet, in the world of racing, he is king, due to his numerous victories and a brash personality that the media loves. His first year in Formula One racing, he thinks he’s guaranteed victory, but he didn’t think about Niki Lauda, an Austrian racer gaining momentum in the racing world.  Lauda’s devotion to work and aversion to partying is in stark contrast to Hunt’s personality, sparking an epic rivalry between the duo.

Ron Howard, god bless him, refuses to let Rush become just another normal underdog sports flick, which is commendable, but ends up being a double edged sword for the film. The film has much more developed characters than, say Facing The Giants, but the film also has an immensely slow pace because of scenes entirely devoted to exposition and character development. This wouldn’t be a problem if the characters and the dialogue were interesting to watch, but neither rise to the challenge. Unfortunately, most of the first hour of the film is made up of scenes like these, making the film feel like a tedious bore at first.

As the film gets going, things do pick up, especially in scenes where Hemsworth and Bruhl share the screen. Hemsworth, conveying the charisma of a man who won’t allow the emptiness of his life to overshadow the fun he could be having, has incredible presence on the screen and is one of the few things in the first hour that truly works. Bruhl goes in a completely different direction, having Lauda seem to always have something on his mind, always contemplating the next race and all the outcomes that could occur during it. His quiet intensity is insanely engaging, and when placed next to Hemsworth, the two work wonderfully and lend the film its best moments.

Ron Howard does an excellent job in directing here, showing versatility in staging both action-packed racing scenes and small character moments with flair. I wish he could’ve helped iron out the script’s many problems, but at least he puts in better work than he has in some of his worst films (namely, the live-action Grinch film and The Dilemma).  Even with a good director and two great performances, Rush can’t overcome a pathetic and unfocused script. Still, the film is far from horrible, and the final scene of the film, depicting Hunt and Lauda meeting after the film’s final race, shows not only Bruhl’s best work in the film but also radiates how the two men’s perception of the racing industry in the 1970’s shaped their very personalities. It’s a great scene, one that’s both poignant and shows how great the rest of the film should have been.