F1 Review

Over 30 years ago, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, and Tom Cruise gave us a summer flick about a reckless yet gifted maverick who lives in the danger zone. That film was, of course, Days of Thunder. As you might’ve guessed from that description, Days of Thunder tried its hardest to be the next Top Gun, albeit with race cars rather than fighter jets. Despite having much of the same talent, Days of Thunder never reached the same heights. It did develop something of a cult following, however. So much so that Cruise has been in talks for a legacy sequel. Of course, that seems redundant since F1 the Movie is basically Days of Thunder Redux.

Granted, Cruise isn’t in F1, although Brad Pitt fuels this high-octane picture with his signature movie star charisma. Bruckheimer is back in action along with composer Hans Zimmer, who delivers another banger soundtrack. In place of the late Tony Scott, Bruckheimer turns to Joseph Kosinski of Top Gun: Maverickfame. Just as Kosinski and cinematography Claudio Miranda made the audience feel as if they were in aerial combat, they pull off a similar feat in F1. Using custom cameras, the filmmakers put the audience inside the cockpit with Pitt, who did much of his own driving in modified cars.

It isn’t just the heart-pounding stunts that harken back to Top Gun: Maverick. Ehren Kruger turns in another surprisingly thoughtful screenplay about an aging thrill seeker proving there’s still gas left in his tank. Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a former Formula One driver whose career was cut short following a crash. Sonny still makes a living with gigs behind the wheel, although he isn’t interested in trophies. He isn’t even that concerned about money outside of what he needs to get by. When an old friend named Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) offers him a position on his Formula One crew, Sonny can’t pass up what might be his last shot.

Sonny is tasked with training Noah Pearce (Damson Idris), a young driver whose ego puts up a roadblock. Like Pitt, Idris also learned how to drive cars that can go up to 180 MPH. Thematically, F1 might share one too many parallels with Top Gun: Maverick, which also revolved around a seasoned hotshot mentoring the next generation. The familiarity is easy to forgive, though, thanks to the chemistry between the cast. In addition to his rapport with Idris, Sonny forms a sweet romance with a technical director named Kate (Kerry Condon). The stars bring so much charm to the forefront that it’s easy to forget about the actual Formula One drivers adding another layer of realism to the background.

At nearly two hours and forty minutes, F1 is overly long, yet fast-paced. The same can be said about an actual F1 race, although the audience isn’t stuck in the bleachers here. The film puts us where the action is, never letting its foot off the gas. Some may say it’s essentially an advertisement for F1. Hell, the ® symbol is technically in the title. Even with all of the Formula One propaganda on display, Kosinski has made a film that feels personal. Above all else, it’s about a man finding his second act. This oddly mirrors Bruckheimer’s cinematic journey, getting Days of Thunder right on his second try.