F1

Even in a fictional movie, last second rule hijinks prevent Lewis Hamilton from winning in Abu Dhabi. This movie rules as I knew it would. I waited three years and it was everything I wanted and nothing I didn’t. It’s a simple, cliched story, but when it’s told this well it doesn’t matter.  The technical achievements here are genuinely groundbreaking. I think F1 represents a pivotal moment where digital cinematography has finally surpassed the limitations of traditional film stock. Digital sensors have matched film’s image quality for several years now, but in F1 we see that digital offers unprecedented flexibility, obliterating the boundaries of what is cinematically possible. The visceral, high-speed sequences and intimate cockpit photography simply couldn’t have been captured using conventional film techniques. I am really fascinated by the way Joseph Kosinski and Christopher McQuarrie approach filmmaking. We always think of film making as an “art form” and directors as “artists”.” Kosinksi was an engineer by trade before he became a filmmaker and both he and McQuarrie have spoken about how they consider themselves “craftsman” who construct films. Of course they are artists making art, but taking an engineering approach to the technical aspects of filmmaking is yielding some amazing results. I’m a massive F1 fan and I watched the races depicted on screen. It’s absolutely wild to see events I saw live repurposed for a fictional narrative. Watching the actual races and knowing Brad Fucking Pitt was right behind them, or on the pitch with them, is absolutely wild. To repurpose the Drive to Survive narrative of sometimes your biggest opponent is your teammate for a fictional story is rad. The magic of the movies, baby! BP was born for the role. He’s one part Paul Newman, one part Han Solo. This movie is Top Gun on the ground and Sonny is Mac and Ice Man combined. A movie like this only works with a bona fide movie star and Brad is the last of a dying breed. Is this the most handsome Javier Bardem has ever looked?  I fear I am in love with Kerry Condon. But who wouldn’t be? What a ride Will Buxton is on lmao. Good for him. They needed some Nigel Mansel in the pit lane though. All the years of Drive to Survive have really turned Zack Brown, Toto Wolff, and Gunther into genuinely good actors. Gunther we miss you! If you didn’t like this movie you have a cold hard. Give me 10 more.