Trailer
Plot summary
A Formula Three event in London in 1970 brings together two drivers with opposite methods: James Hunt, brash and self-confident, and Niki Lauda, who relies on practice and precision. Both reach Formula One by different routes; Lauda borrows money from an Austrian bank to secure his place at BRM, while Hunt's Hesketh Racing steps up to the series. Lauda then joins Ferrari and wins the 1975 championship, while Hesketh closes and Hunt signs with McLaren and marries the supermodel Suzy Miller. Lauda begins a relationship with Marlene Knaus. In 1976 Lauda wins the early races as Hunt's McLaren struggles; Hunt takes the Spanish Grand Prix but is disqualified when his car is ruled too wide.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Rush (2013)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- When Niki Lauda first saw a pre-screening of the unedited footage he considered himself portrayed too negatively, and that only changed on the day of the first screening when Bernie Ecclestone told him how much he liked it.
- Some things in the film are exaggerated, such as the Hunt-Lauda rivalry: in reality the two had shared a flat early in their careers and were good friends. The Nürburgring nickname "the graveyard" was invented too, as Jackie Stewart had nicknamed it "the Green Hell".
- Other inaccuracies include the British F3 battle at Crystal Palace, which in reality was between Hunt and Dave Morgan, and Hunt's overtake on Regazzoni for 3rd place in the Japanese Grand Prix, when in the actual race he passed Alan Jones.
- Director Ron Howard originally intended for Russell Crowe to make a cameo appearance as Richard Burton, in a brief scene where he confronts James Hunt on his affair with Suzy.
SPOILER
The closing scene, in which Hunt comes to a meet-up with Lauda on a bicycle with a flat tire while working as a TV broadcaster, softens reality: Hunt had run out of money and fallen into alcohol addiction, and Lauda gave him money that day to rebuild his life.
