Brad Pitt ignites the screen in F1 – an exhilarating ride where he battles inner demons and rival drivers on the Formula One track, proving movie-star charisma still rules.
F1, the movie co-produced by Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski, is a return to form for live-action Hollywood blockbusters and the ‘one-two punch’ that’s historically rare to deliver from movie directors. But more importantly, this movie is Brad Pitt’s statement that movie star charisma can still set the screen ablaze with the right material.
Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) is in a bind. His team, APXGP, is at the bottom of the points table in the competition, and he needs a miracle. He knows no miracle-workers but remembers his friend Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) from his earlier F1 racing years in the 1990s. Sonny showed exceptional promise back then, until he suffered a terrible, career-ending crash. Now, Sonny has risen from the ashes and has just won the 24 Hours at Daytona.
Formula One is a long way up, though, and Ruben makes a huge gamble by betting on Sonny. Sonny, on the other hand, isn’t too keen to be under the spotlight either. The thrill of a tough competition, however, is too enticing to resist.
Formula One is a team sport. In this game, the components that determine a team’s strength are the cars, the pit crew, the team principal, the engineers and the two drivers. APXGP needs to work on all these components to fight the big bulls of the game. If only they knew how. Enter Sonny Hayes. Sonny brings with him a wealth of experience and the necessary winning attitude. But a major issue he has to manoeuvre is his tarnished reputation.
The problems begin in-house as the team’s primary driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), dislikes the scent of another alpha male in his territory. How Sonny overcomes these obstacles and gets his team to climb up from the bottom position on the points table is the movie’s dazzling jewel.
Kerry Condon plays the technical director Kate McKenna, and she is just as confused about Sonny’s tactics as the rest of us. What we do know, though, is they’re working. Kate can’t help but be charmed by Sonny’s good looks, but what makes him irresistible is his solid grasp of his skill.
The script written by Ehren Kruger is exciting; the dialogues are effective and true to the characters of the movie. It is deserving of a big budget and high production value. With banter that’s witty and fun, the relationships seem endearing, interesting and fresh. With the F1 championship as the background, the human relationships remain in the foreground.
No one has more to lose in the movie than Ruben. Bardem plays that tension under a layer of salesmanship and command. Condon’s Kate also has much to prove to the world as a female technical director. Joshua is in dire need of good mentorship. The answers to all their prayers can be Sonny. But Sonny has his own demons to fight. To fight in an elite contest, one has to give everything they’ve got. Pitt does that here. He’s put in the work to portray a complicated man, something the actor’s filmography is light on.
The unique white, gold and silver colour palette gives the movie a chic look. Kosinski has also given the movie a consistent design despite the globe-trotting F1 competition. When a sports movie works, it delivers immense joy that is specific to the genre. F1 is that crowd-pleasing sports/action movie. It’s entertainment for the entire family.
Oh, and it is so much fun!
Ruben Cervantes – ‘I’m offering you an open seat in Formula One, the only place you could say, if you win, you are the absolute best..in the world.’