F1
F1 (aka F1: THE MOVIE) (12)
D: Joseph Kosinski
Warner Bros / Apple Studios / Bruckheimer / Plan B / Monolith / Dawn Apollo (Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Chad Oman & Lewis Hamilton)
US 🇺🇸 2025
155 mins
Sports/Drama/Action
W: Ehren Kruger
DP: Claudio MirandaÂ
Ed: Stephen Mirrione
Mus: Hans Zimmer
Brad Pitt (Sonny Hayes), Damson Idris (Joshua Pearce), Kerry Condon (Kate McKenna), Javier Bardem (Ruben Cervantes), Tobias Menzies (Peter Banning)
Admittedly, I’m not a fan whatsoever of Formula One motor racing, so this wasn’t particularly a film I had high expectations for, and I couldn’t have been more off the mark, as this is one of the most entertaining movies of 2025.
I do find it is the way going into sports films of the sports that I don’t particularly enjoy that my expectations are quite low, and generally result in the film being far more fun or interesting than I had prepared for, where as films about sports I don’t like are almost always underwhelming.  F1: The Movie certainly follows that rule of thumb.
Brad Pitt stars as a retired Formula One driver who has been a gun for hire in various other motor races since a devastating accident in the mid-1990s, he reluctantly comes back into the fold when an old friend invites him back to his F1 team, currently struggling at the bottom of the championship and lumbered with a talented, but arrogant young driver who embraces the fame and social media aspect of his career over podium places.
The film does follow the general stencil of the old veteran putting the young protege straight after initial friction, and does bump up the running time with a bad guy subplot and a love story which aren’t particularly necessary, but the 155 minute run time still passes in a flash.
Brad Pitt oozes charisma in every scene that he’s in, and strong supporting performances are also provided by cocky, young upstart Damson Idris, as well as Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon, who each have their reputations on the line when they recruit Pitt into the team.
The film probably does play fast and loose with the actual rules of the sport, but that isn’t something that concerns me. This isn’t a documentary about F1, it’s just a solid, crowd-pleasing action-packed blockbuster.
A special mention has to go to director Joseph Kosinski, who maybe isn’t as well known a name as he ought to be, but he sure as hellfire knows how to present cinematic entertainment, and with this as his follow-up to Top Gun: Maverick, he really deserves to be getting more plaudits.  Everything here is just cinema at its best, amazing cinematography, sharp editing, a superb soundtrack of score and songs, quality visual effects and sound design that puts you right in the driver’s seat. The story may have some flaws, but they’re easy to overlook over the zip and zing that is far more apparent.
8/10
