‘F1: The Movie’: Brad Pitt Steers Gloriously Fun Racing Epic With Scruffy Charm 

Alci Rengifo

Brad Pitt is part of that small club we call the last of the true movie stars. They hail from a time when name alone could drive box office, in days before streaming or superhero pop culture dominance. After winning an Oscar and appearing in films carried by more of an indie spirit, Pitt returns to grand popcorn scale with “F1: The Movie.” Another veteran of big Hollywood filmmaking, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, is also back and makes sure this movie is crafted specifically to be seen on the biggest screen possible, preferably IMAX. As befitting its subject matter, this summer escape is all about the adrenaline rush. It doesn’t even care to conform to modern sensibilities, parading its driver like a symbol of bygone movie masculinity.

Pitt’s character, Sonny Hayes, is first introduced racing the night shift during the 24-hour Daytona race, speeding through to the sounds of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” He is an aging war horse, a former Grand Prix competitor who bowed out after a disastrous accident on the track. Now, he is content mostly living out of his van and driving for the thrill. A figure from the past shows up. It is Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), a former rival who now runs the Formula 1 team APXGP. Ruben wants Sonny to join his team to bring experience, since the current star, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), still has some growing up to do. The team also suffers from dealing with cars that can barely compete next to titans like Ferrari and McLaren. Sonny arrives in London, ready to aim for glory, if he can get along with Joshua and if the team can fix its car problem.

Racing movies have always provided a unique challenge considering they are trying to make thrilling cinema out of a sport that, while extremely difficult, visually consists of cars circling a track. Director Joseph Kosinski takes on the challenge and cinematographer Claudio Miranda crafts one of the best-looking racing films ever made. Watching “F1” feels like you are in the car with its characters as it captures that tightening sensation of traveling at high speeds in a moving vehicle. Pitt and cast drove modified cars and the effect is dynamic because this movie never feels like a CGI fantasy. Kosinski was the perfect choice for director after directing “Top Gun: Maverick,” Tom Cruise’s smash hit that made us feel like we were soaring through the sky in combat jets. For Bruckheimer, it is a return to a genre he had earlier overseen in Tony Scott’s “Days of Thunder.” The composer of that movie, Hans Zimmer, provides a kinetic score with an electronic sheen reminiscent of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ recent work.

This kind of story still can’t escape some basic clichés which work in “F1” since the key aim is being a popcorn spectacle. Like Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick,” Pitt is proving he can still play a ‘90s archetype, although now scruffier. Sonny is the hero who reminds Joshua racing shouldn’t be about the money and sponsorships, but about the vocation of being an adrenaline junkie. He has all the injuries and scars to prove it. Joshua is the cocky younger guy too self-confident for his own good. Damson Idris has the same presence of a young Jamie Foxx in “Any Given Sunday.” At first they nearly derail APXGP with rival antics on the track. Sonny, like all racing heroes, does his own thing (“if you don’t like how I race, then beat me”). Both men have to learn how to work for the good of the team. That team also includes technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), who is Sonny’s love interest. To the filmmakers’ credit, she is at least given more urgency in the plot than past Bruckheimer female characters. On her shoulders is the responsibility of designing better cars for the team. Callie Cooke is also likable as a pit mechanic who has butter fingers she needs to master throughout the plot.

“F1” is so entertaining, even at 2 hours and 35 minutes, that the other formula characters work without needing us to give them too much thought. Javier Bardem is there to look worried and pump up the team. Tobias Menzies appears when required as Peter Banning, the snaky investor who will sell everyone out if they lose. Sarah Niles plays Joshua’s protective mother, who also delivers some of the movie’s better self-referential jokes regarding Pitt (“now that is a handsome man”). They’re providing human components to an entertainment that is really all about the stunning shots of various countries like Dubai, and the fevered editing of the racing sequences. There’s no effort to make up a main villain. Winning is already the biggest challenge the team faces. The writing also doesn’t go too deep into the mechanics of F1 racing, but that doesn’t matter much when our heroes face close calls at a bad turn or their tires blow out. Kosinski knows how to grip us with pure sensation, since it never feels false. 

“F1” ends on notes of pure silly joy. How could it not? Summer at the movies is made for an escape like this. For Pitt, whose personal trials have garnered more headlines than his recent movies, it proves he can still convincingly carry on his shoulders one of these action behemoths. He seems to be having genuine fun, as does everyone involved. There have been variations on this concept that aim for an updated take linking racing to other pop culture staples like video games, like “Gran Turismo.” We still need some more classic craft at a time when everyone is wondering if actors and screenwriting will eventually be replaced by AI. “F1” is skillfully made with a bonafide movie star, showing the kids how it can still be

done.

“F1: The Movie” releases June 27 in theaters nationwide.