If you wait to watch this movie on Apple TV+, I promise you will be kicking yourself.
F1
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Runtime: 2 hours, 36 minutes
Synopsis
Journeyman racer Sonny Hayes (Pitt) receives an offer from lifelong friend and GXP team owner Ruben Cervantes (Bardem) to make his return in Formula One racing. However, with Ruben’s business on life support, a young rookie in Pearce (Idris) pushing him at every turn, and a team engineer (Condon) unsure of his methods, success is far from guaranteed.
Pitt, The Veteran
Saying Hollywood has changed in the past decade is like saying water is wet, but it’s indelibly true. In years past, you could roll out a film with Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise at the helm and that would be enough to get butts in seats. Studios even older than Netflix still trot out the same strategy only to be surprised when it yet again blows up in their faces. Apple TV in particular has been trying this strategy a few times with releases like Killers of the Flower Moon or Napoleon. Despite their popularity and Oscar buzz (Flower Moon), no amount of Apple money can cover up these spectacular financial failures.
I find it a bit humorous then, less than a year after another dud with Pitt in Wolfs (co-starring George Clooney) that Apple both releases a solid summer blockbuster and that it resonated with an audience. With Apple’s paltry release strategy, this film could have easily been lost in the glut of streaming titles, but we instead get treated to an iconic Hollywood actor giving everything to this role. Sure, F1 plays by the numbers here; an aging veteran aides a hot-shot rookie as they both reach for glory. It’s a story you’ve seen plenty of times before, but Pitt gives it plenty of charisma that you can’t help but stay engaged and laugh at his character’s mischievous, rebellious elder energy.
Why did this one finally land when so many others failed to launch for Apple?
I can’t rightly say yet, but like Pitt’s character Hayes, it would be foolish to underestimate the power certain stars have, when connected to the right vehicle. The other pre-release answer might the first trailer for F1. Using a classic Queen song “We Will Rock You” well-edited to snippets from the movie may seem cliche, but it bucks a recent droll trend by modern trailers to simply be loud, dropping overdone sound effects everywhere. If I was struck by the difference and I watch these things religiously, I have to imagine it caught the public eye too.
Pitt Crew
No driver can survive without an amazing crew, and F1 enjoys that abundance, as Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon round out the vets supporting Pitt. Bardem doesn’t show up a ton, but his brief moments with Pitt speak to creating chemistry easily and operating like old friends catching up.
I’m not sure what to make of Condon’s role as Kate though. F1 certainly gives her more to do than say Jennifer Connelly in Top Gun Maverick. And Pitt and Condon’s on-screen chemistry is certainly there and enjoyable…however the film is keenly aware that detractors wouldn’t look fondly on yet another woman serving as the protagonist’s prop. To that end, Condon’s role as Kate starts off nuanced, serving as the first-women engineer on a F1 crew, and shutting off Hayes’ advances before they start, and creating a new car redesign that’s vital to the story. This sentiment is also extended to another woman on the pit crew who asks Hayes not to defend her / weaken her position among the male pit crew, which makes it seem like the film will continue this theme.
Only…Kate does fall for Sonny eventually, as the screenplay makes several winks and nods at the audience’s perception of woman’s roles in these type of movies. It mostly works for the movie, because as we said, Kate’s role is more substantial than other co-star roles in this genre (e.g. Connelly had basically two impactful scenes in Maverick compared to this). However, that doesn’t mean her characterization is going to be enough to satisfy fans looking for better representation or one less dependent on romantic encounters with her male counterparts.
Pitt’s co-star, Damson Idris, was a pleasant surprise for me, but I’m sure fans of FX’s Snowfall already knew he had the skills to match Pitt. These type of films don’t work nearly as well if the “rookie” both in Hollywood success and character can’t rise to the challenge. Plenty of lesser movies have casted great veterans but fumbled the bag picking the wrong newcomer. Luckily for F1 this decision pays off in the tension and levity we receive between Pitt and Idris. Idris is cocky and surefire when his character Pearce needs it and can also channel Pearce’s more subtle, humble side when he finally gels with Hayes.
Fresh Racing Eyes
There’s been a push in Hollywood, led by Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie among others, to make the cinematic experience as true and as authentic as possible. Every behind-the-scenes video for the Mission: Impossible series over the past few years has hammered home this point, from Cruise hanging off of a plane or crashing a motorcycle off a cliff. This trend was highlighted, arguably even more so in Top Gun Maverick (2022), which reunited Cruise with director Joseph Kosinski (they had previously worked together on 2013’s Oblivion). The duo wanted their fictional pilots to react to real G-forces, turns, and flips, and perform through all of it. All that effort paid off in the long run, as it came through on screen and delivered spectacularly at the box office (to the tune of $2.1 billion worldwide).
F1 follows a similar blueprint: bringing in Kosinski, his regular cinematographer Claudio Miranda (who also shot Maverick), and producer Jerry Bruckheimer (also producer on Maverick and the original 1986 Top Gun), paired with Brad Pitt’s willingness to jump into the driver’s seat. This combo creates a unique on-screen driving experience that puts it on par with recent racing scenes from James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari (2019). The camera setup for F1 is mounted in such a way that we get a great look at the actor’s faces, the angry and jovial moments, as other cars are careening or pushing towards them. Occasionally, we get rain or the driver’s hands blocking the shot, making it feel closer to reaction cameras you get in F1 broadcasts vs. a purely cinematic feel. It’s a small detail to be sure, but it’s one that helps you feel immersed in the action.
None of this would matter without Stephen Mirrione’s expert editing, weaving between external and internal shots, pit crew reactions, at the right cadence. There’s a memorable moment of restraint when Hayes gets distraught at an official’s decision, which in-universe results in him “driving angry.” Here, cinematographer Miranda keeps the action on Sonny’s face as much as possible while Mirrione keeps the cutaway shots minimal. While it’s technically not a long take, like Sonny is experiencing, we can’t look away or process what just happened, like the film is forcing us to bury our face into the same pain he’s experiencing.
These choices all result in a fantastic race experience, that while not a perfect representation of F1 races (I’ve already heard enthusiasts nitpick things to death despite the contributions of 7-time champ Lewis Hamilton to the proceedings), is going to leave audiences more than satisfied and possibly eager for another entry.
Conclusion / Recommendation
Brad Pitt and Damson Idris star in a thrilling race movie that reruns tried and true mentorship / rookie dynamics under the careful eye of Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. While this story won’t blow you away, it’s a carefully crafted ride that will satisfy that summer blockbuster itch.
While the IMAX run is over this week as Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman take over its screens, you will want to see this film on the biggest screen possible, and maybe even consider a 4DX or Dolby Atmos screening for maximum, non-IMAX impact.
Score: 8.6 out of 10
- Skillful Race Edits- 9
- Film editing is never a sexy selling point for casual moviegoers, but you definitely notice when it’s bad. Combined with stellar cinematography and plenty of practical shots to go around, it’s the edit for F1 seals the deal.
- A Great Crew- 8
- Pitt is flanked by an all-star crew that pulls the best out of each other, making it a memorable and enjoyable story, even it’s one you’ve seen before.
- Just Enough Thrills- 9
- If you’ve seen one racing movie, then you may feel like you’ve seen this one, but I promise Kosinski delivers something fresh. Utilizing many of the action set piece skills developed from Top Gun, Oblivion, and Tron, Kosinski crafts an engaging feel for each turn, crash, and push of the pedal.
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