Putting the winning formula in F1
Surprising no one who saw the trailers, Joseph Kosinski’s latest film, “F1,” pretty much remakes his prior film, the instant classic “Top Gun: Maverick.”
This is not a knock, because “F1” is able to apply the general outline and structure of that earlier film onto a new milieu, the high stakes/high velocity world of Formula 1 racing, with tremendous results. Pairing once again with Ehren Kruger, one of his screenwriters on “Maverick,” Kosinski gets to do what he does best: beautiful, loving shots of machinery and engineering doing their thing, paired with a winning narrative formula that delivers resonant emotional beats.
Brad Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a former F1 racer who met with a tragic accident that took him out of the scene. In the decades since, he’s been bouncing around different kinds of races, doing short-term stints with whoever will have him. The film begins with Sonny using his talent and experience to secure a win for a team at Daytona, when his old racing buddy Ruben (Javier Bardem) tracks him down with an offer: Come back to F1, take Ruben’s young spitfire rookie driver Joshua (Damson Idris, “Snowfall”) under his wing, and have another go at your childhood dream.
There’s an almost fetishistic treatment to the race cars, which feels entirely appropriate. Fans of the sport who came aboard thanks to “Drive to Survive” (which gets a shout-out) will eat it up. The precision engineering and beauty in design is on full display, close-ups from all angles set to pulsing music, serving as appetizers for the main course, which are the races.
Thrilling
Shooting with camera rigs made for the movie, and utilizing tricks learned on “Maverick,” “F1” brings the audience into the driver’s seat, with fantastic sound design that should make full use of a good cinema’s Atmos sound system.
Brad Pitt uses his hangdog charms well, the post-Oscar part of his career seeing him play things a little more understated than before, as probably befits a character facing the latter half of his racing days. It pairs well with Idris’ cockiness, though common ground eventually wells up: Both characters lost their fathers when they were young, both have chips on their shoulders with something to prove. When they slowly begin to see the benefits of working together, as a team, the moment is thrilling.
While the plotting and dialogue may not be as efficient as “Maverick,” it’s carried by the robust filmmaking, every race given its own personality, with Hayes finding all kinds of technical and legal loopholes to secure better and better finishing places for his team. It helps with the realism that many luminaries in the field make cameo appearances, thanks to producer Lewis Hamilton, who himself is a kind of final boss.
While it might be a bit too long, the races are an absolute rush, and adrenaline junkies will be craving for them as soon as they’re over. Without needing to reinvent the wheel, Kosinski and crew get to map a solid underdog tale onto a whole different context and come up with another summer winner. Perhaps watersports will be next?
