Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick (2022); Tron: Legacy (2010); Only the Brave (2017)) and starring Brad Pitt (Fight Club (1999); Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005); Moneyball (2011); 12 Years a Slave (2013)), Damson Idris (Snowfall (tv series, 2017-23); The Commuter (2018); Outside the Wire (2021)), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin (2022); Captain America: Civil War (2016); In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023)), Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men (2007); Skyfall (2012); Dune: Part 1 (2021)), Tobias Menzies (The Crown (tv series; 2019-20); Outlander (tv series, 2014-18); The Terror (tv series, 2018)) and Callie Cooke (Blithe Spirit (2020); Cheaters (tv series, 2022-24)).
Sports drama; 155 mins; 6+
A gritty, edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster of a film with a thumping soundtrack, following the struggling Apex Grand Prix team who could go out of business at the end of the year unless therir fortunes take a turn for the better.
Team manager Ruben (Javier Bardem) approaches Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) who retired from Formula 1 thirty years previously after a horror crash; since then he has been driving for a living, including as a taxi driver and most recently at Daytona where his competitive instinct helped his team to win the race.
Tempted back to Formula 1, Sonny is paired with rookie prodigy Joshua "Noah" Pearce (Damson Idris) who is quick but lacks experience: their goal is to win one race. Sonny comes out of retirement to mentor Noah (JP); along the way, they must learn to put aside their differences and work together as a team, even though evry Formula 1 driver's first goal is to beat their team-mate...
The film explores both on-track dangers and rivalries, the intrusive and distracting iyssue of media interviews, it being a male-dominated sport where women and young drivers from underpriveledged backgrounds struggle to break through, both as drivers as well as in the technical side. Here we see Kate (Kerry Condon) as Chief Engineer and Jodie (Callie Cooke) as one of the pit crew, rise to the challenge and forge their way in the cutthroat world of Formula 1. The film also explored issues related to the business side of the sport, where investor and board member Banning (Tobias Menzies) exerted his own pressures on the team to perform.
Years in the making, and with the support of the FIA and Formula 1 and its drivers, team principals and more, it provides an authentic insight into the workings of a struggling team in the cutthroat world of Formula 1 car racing. Filming took place during various Grand Prix weekends during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, including during the 2024 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, England, where (at the actual Grand Prix) a garage and pit wall were set up for the fictional team between those of the Mercedes and Ferrari teams, to film various scenes.
Currently screening in Luxembourg from 25 June 2025, at Kinepolis and CiNextDoor cinemas. Try to see it at the IMAX screening room.
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