Tag: Peter Morgan

Rush

Ron Howard’s “Rush” hits its stride in thrilling, driver’s eye perspectives of Formula One racing.

Formula One is a near impossible sport. Only the right combination of near-death daring, speed, mechanics, weather and precise skill can not only win the race but also allow you to finish it in one piece. When all the extraneous parts come together, it makes for sheer, cathartic fun.

Ron Howard’s “Rush” feels that way when it hits its stride. “Rush” is a formulaic sports movie with a driver’s eye mentality that grants an infinitely more heart pounding sensation even when the narrative and drivers seem to be going around in circles.

Americans have never caught on to Formula One the way the rest of the world has, but they know rivalries, and they know assholes, especially foreign ones. “Rush” has both, it being a biopic on an infamous rivalry between the smarmy and posh Brit James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and the blunt, coldly calculating Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) during their 1976 season.

Hunt drove for McLaren and Lauda for Ferrari, each forcing their way into the big leagues with equal parts skill and money. Their rivalry is built on the fact that they’re both jerks inside the car and out, testing each other in harsh conditions while trading barbs about their wives and general appearance. Continue reading “Rush”

The Last King of Scotland

When a leader commands as much conviction in his voice as Forest Whitaker does as Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland,” you don’t ask why the man thinks or acts the way he does; you just go along with the ride.

Director Kevin Macdonald and screenwriter Peter Morgan are more than happy to take us on this historical journey through 1970s Uganda, when Ugandan President and army general Idi Amin ruled the country with an iron fist. We see the events unfold through the eyes of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a stifled young man from Scotland looking to escape into the world and do some good.

It does seem to be a trend in historical biopics like these to view the most interesting character, in this case, Amin, from the outside and not as the protagonist. And although we get a richly complex character in Amin, the main story is about a boy who was once sheltered at home and was then ironically sheltered in one of the most dangerous places in the world. Continue reading “The Last King of Scotland”