Universal Pictures
It’s the ultimate guys’ movie. Ron Howard’s Rush, which chronicles the professional and personal rivalry between two Formula One drivers in 1976, is jam-packed with testosterone and just about every traditional Mars-fueled behavior in the book.
The real-life protagonists are Brit James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl), and their over-the-top competitiveness is Martial to a fault.
Hunt, a handsome, lanky guy with blond locks, is the sex-obsessed (Mars) playboy (Mars) who misses no opportunity to have spontaneous (Mars) sex (Mars). He’s one of those act-first-think-later (Mars) types who sees risk (Mars) as a game, and danger (Mars) as an intoxicant. “The only thing I have going for me is I’m fast in a car,” he says.
Lauda, in contrast, makes up for his less-than-handsome features – his front teeth protrude and Hunt freely refers to his “rat” face – with extraordinary analytical prowess and mental athleticism (Mars), cannily nailing problems like automotive weight distribution and vehicle construction.
Despite specific differences in their Mars-like methodology, each demonstrates a profoundly decisive (Mars) courage (Mars) to chance death every time they rev up their engines (Mars). And, because Mars rules the anatomical head, brain and eyes, it’s impossible to ignore the Mars overlay when the camera practically transports the audience into the mens’ helmets.
Reinforcing the cranial tie-in to Mars is Hunt’s bloody nose at the beginning of the movie and, later on, Lauda’s massive facial burns – not surprisingly, he sustained his near fatal injuries during a grand slam that occurred in hazardous (Mars) weather conditions; he wanted to cancel the race, but Hunt’s decision to go through with it swayed the other racers’ votes.
If there’s one break in the movie’s fiery tone – the roars and whines of engines, the fumes, the speeds that propel movie-goers to grab their arm rests to temper the, well, rush – it’s clearly Lauda’s inherent romanticism. “Happiness is the enemy, it weakens you,” he tells his woman Marlene (Alexandra Maria Lara) early on, adding that, when it’s present in your life, suddenly you have something to lose.” Even the incorrigible Hunt redeems himself when he defends Lauda’s honor from a reporter with some pummeling (Mars) to the face (Mars). (This time, Hunt seems to have thought about his actions first.)
More than anything, men love cars and Mars loves to win. Especially these two champions. The winning Rush nails it.
Astrology Film Review: ♂ (Mars)
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