F1: The Movie

Putting ‘blockbuster’ in ‘summer blockbuster’ in the way few films can is F1 — The Movie. This high-octane, classic underdog story, stylishly acted and seamlessly picturised, is just the adrenaline shot that the big screen needed. Dominating cinema space this weekend, big movie comfort food rarely felt as enticing as F1 which may run on familiar fuel but delivers huge dollops of entertainment. Powering this rise-against-all-odds story is Brad Pitt. At 61, Pitt fires on all cylinders, showing us yet again why he and Tom Cruise, a year older than him, are indisputably the last great movie stars. That F1 is directed by Joseph Kosinki, the man who helmed Cruise’s 2022 summer blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick — the film that brought theatres back into business globally after the pandemic — is only one of the many commonalties that their careers have shared. In the late 2010s, Kosinski was developing a racing film with both Pitt and Cruise set to star — and do their own driving. Earlier this week, Cruise landed up at the London premiere of F1 to support his Interview with the Vampire co-star. Needless to say, in its thrills and chills and its need-for-speed DNA, the shadow of Cruise looms large over F1.

F1 directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruge is a film of simpler times. The makers for F1 have chosen to focus on the filmmaking more than its story, but the screenplay doesn’t fall short of theatrics and drama. For a story about racing and its team, there is much to offer from conflict between players, past emotional trauma to new beginnings and team bonding. F1 gives almost everything a 2000s film could present with even better direction and cinematography. F1 begins with Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes stepping in as a nomad driver for hire at a Daytona racetrack for the overnight shift. He takes over the car towards the end of the line, but leads the game by the morning driver change. 5 minutes into the film, the makers clear the air that Sonny Hayes isn’t in it for the glory. Despite offers to stay on the team full time, Sonny picks up his cheque and moves on to the next one. Dubbed as “the greatest that never was,” he was Formula 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s.