The Mosley Review: F1
When's the last time you experienced a comfortable film? I'm not just talking about the type of film that you can leave on in the background. I’m talking about the ones that when it is on television or is streaming somewhere, you're engaged immediately and throughout. We haven't had that in so long and well, this film fits that bill. Now I'm not slighting the film in anyway because I truly enjoyed myself. This film felt like a fun throwback to the 90's sports films that took their time to immerse you not only in the spectacle of it all, but the technology and the point of view of the players you follow. This film did that in spades and I was wonderfully surprised. I've never been into the world of professional racing, but I always had respect for the drivers and technicians behind it all. What I loved the most about this film was the camera work and how you are in the driver seats or riding shotgun with the main characters during all the amazing racing sequences. It was truly exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. The story wasn't as jaw-dropping and sometimes was paint by numbers. It was a shame that the story didn't goes a bit deeper into the mortality theme but either way, the cast kept me fully engaged with the characters.
Brad Pitt is in his elder charismatic rockstar era now and as Sonny Hayes, he brings that part of the character to life. Not only was Sonny the charming nomad that had a past, but he was filled with wisdom. That was his best feature and how he applied it to his genuine love for racing. Javier Bardem was wonderful as his old friend and APXGP team owner, Ruben Cervantes. Javier delivers that same level of charisma, but with more urgency opposite Brad's more cavalier attitude. The history between Sonny and Ruben was truly felt and I loved their friendship and bond the most in the film. Damson Idris was excellent as the new arrogant racing superstar, Joshua Pearce. He truly highlights what it means to be all about the fame instead of the performance. The “wise man versus the young hero” theme between them was refreshing. There was a mutual respect there underneath the constant jabs at each other and it was great to watch Pearce become a better person from Sonny's teachings. Sarah Niles nearly steals the film Joshua’s supportive and strong mother, Bernadette. She was his voice of reason and a force to reckoned with later in the story. Kerry Condon brings it all together as the APXGP technical director, Kate McKenna. Her chemistry with all of them was great as she acts as the almost referee of egos between Sonny and Joshua in a particularly fun card game. The back and forth between Kate and Sonny was electric and goes exactly where you expect it. Tobias Menzies was great as an APXGP board member, Peter Banning. The amount of sleeze coming off him was immense. With the financial problems Ruben was going through with the team, he represents that one party that only sees the money being lost instead of the potential comeback.
The score by the great Hans Zimmer was outstanding and fit the energy of the film and the racing sequences. If this film was a video game, this would be the score that would accompany it. The mix of electronica and orchestra being was epic and towards the last half of the film, it really soars. Like I said before, the immersive nature of the races was the star of the film. The same technique that was used for Top Gun: Maverick, was used here but to an even greater effect. It was intense and I loved that it stayed on the constant eye movement of the actors driving and the POV changes. The movement of the camera as it would look at the cars next to them was insane. Even if the story wasn’t as memorable, I still had a fun experience. Director Jospeh Kosinski has made yet another immersive spectacle that should be experienced in IMAX. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
