F1: The Movie

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

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Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”) scores a predictable but nonetheless effective hit in “F1” focusing on the tense world of Formula One racing. The film is essentially “Top Gun” on the racetrack, but it still manages its dramatic charge.

Sonny (Brad Pitt) is a veteran bad boy racer stuck at mid-level. In between races, former race owner Ruben (Javier Bardem) asks Sonny to join his team. Sonny initially refuses but because he wants to reinvigorate his career, he accepts at the last minute.

Sonny quickly clashes with the young confident driver Joshua (Damson Idris) who is charismatic and daring.

Throughout the film Sonny takes unorthodox approaches to racing and he becomes increasingly confined by rules and regulations.

Though much ego and testosterone are thrust to the fore, the suspense is palpable primarily due to excellent cinematography and editing combined with a heart pounding soundtrack and musical score by Hans Zimmer.

Pitt gives his expected wise guy smirks while Bardem bursts a dramatic blood vessel with frustrated indignation as he has delivered many times before. No actor goes over their expected Hollywood guard rails.

Still there is watchable charisma as always in Brad Pitt’s performance. He plays the weary work horse well, a quasi John Wayne or Clint Eastwood persona.

One has seen this weathered underdog story many times before from John Wayne to Tom Cruise: an unsentimental cowboy of hard knocks, lamenting his past who is now upstaged by the popular new daredevil.

All you need is some solid amphetamine driven imagery, a pulsing score and everything old is new again.

Pitt has such a relaxing screen presence that you are comforted as well as entertained by the old school template of a 1990s action film in vintage blockbuster mode.

Write Ian at ianfree11@yahoo.com