F1

If there's a more thrilling auto racing film than F1, I haven't seen it.

That's not to say Joseph Kosinski’s latest piece of adrenaline-rush cinema is the best yet in this subgenre. Ferrari, Rush, Senna, and Ford v Ferrari have it beat on overall quality with Gran Turismo also in the conversation.

But that all of the above have arrived in the past 15 years suggests we're in a golden age of movies about fast cars and the personalities who design, build, and drive them — and shows how far we’ve come since the embarrassing low of Days of Thunder, some three-plus decades ago.

However, none of those films deliver the consistently high level of entertainment as F1. Following 50something journeyman driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt, in full Movie Star mode) as he’s pulled back into Formula One racing by desperate team owner — and former fellow young gun wheelman — Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), Kosinski puts viewers breathlessly behind the wheel through a variety of claustrophobic close-ups and quick edits between what's going on inside and outside the car. Delivering his best action movie score since The Rock, Hans Zimmer boldly complements these moments with epic synth sounds that never overstay their welcome.

Nearly keeping pace with the stunning action direction is a fairly rote yet engrossing (probably because it's so familiar) story from Ehren Kruger (The Ring). With only nine races to go in the season and Ruben’s board of directors threatening to sell the team if it doesn't improve, there's a palpable sense of urgency. And while the generational friction between Sonny and rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris, Snowfall) isn't exactly a new dynamic, both drivers’ wild card nature and the general unpredictability of racing produces more surprises than the circumstances may suggest.

Pitt’s and Idris’ individual charisma and joint chemistry further elevates the drama, though less praiseworthy is the predictable yet humanizing subplot between Sonny and team engineer Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin), his lone semi-age-appropriate co-worker love interest. And though it yields high-stakes excitement, leaving the fate of the team to the season's final race is a bit unimaginative.

But such mindless romance and narrative manipulation are cornerstones of most Jerry Bruckheimer productions, and as long as it results in some epic fun, the eye-rolling moments are worth weathering. In this department, F1 more than delivers and downright necessitates big-screen viewing.

Grade: B-plus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, the Fine Arts Theatre, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Warner Bros.)