'F1' Review: Brad Pitt Shifts Gears Here: Full Speed, Full Swagger

This Isn’t Just Racing. It’s War With Style

It is interesting and more so fascinating to think that the film has the expected tropes. A legendary driver who either was a has-been or a never-was for many, having had that one crash that changed his life entirely, returns for perhaps his personal redemption (not really though). Friction between the rookie and the old guy. The obvious last race that goes for the big win amidst impossible and insurmountable odds. That is all there. But owing to director Joseph Kosinski’s neat and thorough understanding of how to move with the screenplay, the technicalities of such races, the jargons and the nuances, he is able to infuse the film with edge-of-the-seat moments in abundance. These make for some of the best film-viewing experiences you can witness.

It is easy for a film to casually say that it wants to transport you into the race, and yet fall into the trap of same-old close-up shots, a few race track flybys, and some racing sounds. That is all that’s usually taken care of. Not here. Oh no.

The Camera Doesn’t Shoot the Race. It Becomes It

Kosinski, with cinematographer Claudio Miranda, is able to be viscerally poetic about their shots and sequences. They literally have you feeling that you are indeed in that race at that point of time, while in actuality, you are just biting your nails with a tub of popcorn, perhaps.

The film moves with the sort of immersive momentum that is engineered rather than imagined. The roar of the engine is not just background noise—it is pulse, it is rhythm, it is dialogue. Miranda does not just shoot races. He practically welds the camera to the driver’s consciousness and lets the viewer feel every swerve, every bump, every needlepoint acceleration as if your living room just became an aerodynamic test facility.

And of course, you add the legendary Hans Zimmer to the mix and he brings in his expertise and provides an impeccable score that takes each and every sequence’s intensity and effect multiple notches higher. Just like Kosinski’s previous mega-hit Top Gun: Maverick, this film is filmed for and presented in IMAX. You cannot watch it otherwise. For you to feel that rush, adrenaline-pump and even a fastly beating heart, you need to watch it on the biggest screen with the best sound. It is engineered to be absorbed, not just seen.

Scale Without Losing Soul

That is the thing about Kosinski which is so obvious now. He is able to never compromise on the scale and the actual effect that it carries, but not at the cost of giving it tenderness and subtlety when it should. The smaller moments connect as well, especially the friendship of Hayes and Ruben, which stands the test of immense ups and downs. You anticipate, on a few instances, that perhaps Ruben might snap and there might be a dent in this friendship, but whatever happens only happens for each other’s best interests.

There is an emotional clarity here that rarely exists in testosterone-fueled speed thrillers. You do not just root for the team to win. You root for them to survive each other, to respect each other, to find balance in a sport that offers none. I will admit that the love track between Hayes and team tech director, Kate (Kerry Condon), was not as impactful or organic to me, especially how it culminated, but these are just minor bumps in the otherwise pulsating saga.

Brad Pitt Is the Engine, Not Just the Face

And then you have this beautiful man in the form of Brad Pitt. It is no secret anymore—the sheer charm and natural presence Pitt has on-screen. He was perhaps his most easy-going best in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and that was so apt, it won him a deserved Oscar. I bring that up here just to highlight how it works wonders for F1 as well.

Being Sonny Hayes, he needs to be reckless, untrusting, a bit Vicky even, who is an apparent know-it-all. But he does it with such effortless charm and panache, you just cannot help but be enamored by his presence. Pitt does a spectacular job otherwise too, working with the nuances of emotions. He makes burnout look philosophical. There is an almost anti-glamour glamour in the way he handles his comeback—a veteran who knows he is past his prime, but is still ten seconds ahead of most in wisdom.

Idris as Joshua also lends great assistance, always holding his own against Pitt, without ever overpowering him and still getting the right plaudits. His journey is subtle, unannounced, and powerful—a man growing out of the brand image and into actual identity. But it is also Javier Bardem, who is so fantastic as Ruben, being a friend, a boss, and just having his natural presence on-screen as well. He is charming, vulnerable, mischievous and sincere, often all at once. It is a performance that knows how to take a backseat while steering the entire plot forward.

The rest of the cast lends good support to the film’s proceedings. What is also rather applaudable about the film is that it has those fantastic cameos, appearances spewed across the screenplay, but they are never forced. There isn’t a Lewis Hamilton coming and saying words of advice or cockiness to the hero. All of them just make these cameos count enough to have the F1 fans hooting for a second and then moving on with the story. These are well-oiled nods, not noisy distractions.

Burning Rubber on the Way to Your Heart

In the end, F1 rises and speeds into your heart just like it is meant to. One can easily ponder upon how a racing film will appeal to them, and understandably so as well. But it becomes a racing film without even being a racing film. The visceral nature of the film reigns supreme over all other wonderings. The jargons take over just about enough to make you feel how good the film is with its technicalities. And finally, it manages to give you an experience of film-watching like no other.

It is one of those rare cinematic spectacles where you do not need to be a fan of the sport to be a fan of the film. The emotion is universal. The thrill is atomic. I reiterate, if I haven’t already, watch this film in IMAX and IMAX only. Even if you are a selective moviegoer or have concerns about spending big money for an IMAX film, this is the movie you save for and is worth those monies.

And hey, it never hurts to see Brad Pitt on-screen. Never.