Over the course of their career, perhaps no director has been as hit –or-miss as Ron Howard.  The former “Andy Griffith Show” actor has directed such hits as the Oscar winning film “A Beautiful Mind,” “Frost/Nixon,” and “Apollo 13” while at the same time directing such middling and mediocre films as the Dan Brown novel adaptations “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons.”  However, none of his previous films are as entertaining or well done as most recent outing, “Rush.”

“Rush” tells the tale of the legendary rivalry between Formula One racing drivers James Hunt and Nicki Lauda, perhaps the most notorious sports rivalry of the 1970’s.  Chris Hemsworth (“Marvel’s The Avengers”), plays Hunt- a hot-headed, cocky playboy who races because of his thrill seeking attitude.  Hunt lives the good life: he wins races, has money, and gets ladies without even trying.  Enter Lauda, played by Daniel Brühl (“Inglorious Basterds”).  Lauda is quite the opposite of Hunt.  His father disowns him when he informs him that he will be racing cars for a living, and as such, Lauda must take out a bank loan in order to get into the sport.  The two men are the epitome of polar opposites, and both Hemsworth and Brühl give standout performances that could be the best of both men’s careers thus far, and they were

The film’s script, written by Peter Morgan (“Frost/Nixon”, “The Last King of Scotland”) manages to find the perfect balance between showing the two drivers’ lives on and off the track and manages to show their rivalry in a manner that lets both character stand on their own while at the same time showing audiences just how heated the rivalry between the two men was.  Morgan does a fantastic job of truly bringing to life these two men who have big personalities and letting their actions speak for themselves.

As mentioned before, “Rush” is most certainly the best film Howard has ever directed.  It’s atmospheric, moody, and the racing sequences are breathtaking.  Although the film’s two stars are supposed to be the leading men, the real stars here are the perfectly directed racing set pieces.  Howard finds a wide variety of ways to keep them invigorating, including several incredibly effective first person shots from the driver’s seat, and the high octane, full throttle action is bound to bring audience members to the edge of their seat in what could be one of the most thrilling theatre-going experiences this year.

Although it may be a bit too early to talk seriously about Oscar nominations with films such as “American Hustle” and “The Counselor” set to be released in the coming weeks, “Rush” may spark early Oscar buzz for not only it’s director, but it’s two leading men, as well as it’s cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle.  All of these would be well deserved, but how weird would it be to say that Thor was nominated for an Academy Award.

4/5 Pitchforks

-Guest post by Shane Weinstein.  Shane is currently a freshman in the film program at Arizona State University, where he spends his time eating, sleeping, writing,  and watching movies.  To read more of his work, check out the A&E page on www.statepress.com