F1

F1
Starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Directed by Joseph Kosinski

An older gentleman with years of experience is brought in to train and mentor a young upstart who thinks they know everything but is immediately humbled by how much they don't know. The two immediately are at odds, with the younger insulting the elder's age, while the older scoffs at the younger one's inexperience. There's a no-nonsense woman that falls for the older man due to his charm and charisma. There's a tete-a-tete between the two men as they upstage one another. Things go wrong and both men are humbled and agree to work together and be friends in order to win. It's directed by Joseph Kosinski. Now you might think this is "Top Gun: Maverick" - and you'd be right - but it's also "F1," which is, for all intents and purposes, "Maverick" on then race track. While "Maverick" went on to earn over a billion dollars, I doubt "F1" will have that sort of longevity - but not because it's not a great film. In fact, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. What'll do it in is the fact that it's not a sequel of a long-awaited IP, and its more dramatic-led storyline isn't typically geared for a summer blockbuster season.

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is a former Formula One driver that suffered an accident thirty years prior that all but ended his career. Now a nomad living in his van, he's approached by his former rival-turned-team owner Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) to join his APXGP team to inspire and train young upstart Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) - who has the talent, but is more about gaining followers and social media than actually winning. Sonny agrees and becomes part of the team, and learns Joshua really doesn't care as much about racing than about his image, and the cars themselves aren't able to keep up with the likes of Ferrari, despite the best effort's of the team's technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon). Joshua and Sonny butt heads right away, and as both men try to upstage one another, they threaten APXGP's chances of ever winning a race, forcing them to come together to find a common goal.

"F1" is as formulaic as they come, and if you really dig deeper it's a bit troublesome in its message, although I'm sure not intentionally. Basically what I said in the opening is what happens in this movie beat-for-beat, and doesn't deviate from its track. We've seen movies like this numerous times, but surprisingly "F1" is highly entertaining and captivating, thanks to the charismatic leads, the stunning cinematography and editing, and Hans Zimmer's musical score that all come together under Kosinski's committed leadership.

Brad Pitt is best known for exuding confidence and charisma like a river carries water, and he brings every ounce of that talent to Sonny's story. Generally you'd dislike a guy like him: he is cocky, arrogant, and never listens to anyone when it comes to safety, rules, or sportsmanship. Yet he's just so charming and funny you can't help but root for him, and once you know his entire backstory it explains a lot of his actions throughout the movie. He races for the thrill, for the win, and for the passion of the sport. That is honorable, even if Sonny's methods sometimes aren't.

Conversely, Damson Idris's Joshua doesn't care about racing, or even winning - he's in it for money, popularity, and maintaining an image. He loses a race and smiles for the cameras, receiving endorsements due to his own charisma which equals Sonny's, even if it's a bit less polished. Idris gives a great performance against the juggernaut Pitt and goes toe-to-toe with him time and again, and of course eventually he'll learn the meaning of humility and passion for the sport, and of course they'll eventually work together, but the journey to get there is surprisingly fast-paced considering the 2 hour 35 minute runtime.

What comes into conflict if you think about it is the White Savior complex, which is something I hope Kosinski wasn't going for. Sonny - the White man - mentors and serves as the "hero" of the story who puts Joshua - the Black man - essentially in his place, with an ending that could result in the Black man giving up his dream for his White counterpart. Again, I hope Kosinski wasn't gunning for this sort of story, but the casting tends to say otherwise.

At 2 hours and 35 minutes, I was worried I would get bored with the movie, especially considering it's generic plot. Yet Pitt, Idris and company provide three-dimensional characters that are captivating to watch, and the plot itself runs at a F1-level pace. Then there's Kosinski's bread-and-butter: cinematographer Claudio Miranda (who also worked on "Maverick"), who puts you into the racing seat like he did when he put us in the pilot's seat with "Maverick." You feel the twists and turns of the race, and experience it like you're there. Throw in the brilliant editing work of Stephen Mirrione and Hans Zimmer's bone-shaking score and you've got a spectacular spectacle of Formula One racing that's better than it ought to be, and more surprising than I was expecting in the best ways.

The Score: A+