‘F1: THE MOVIE’: RATED PG-13
  
Age is not always a factor in the entertainment business. For instance, William Shatner is in his tenth decade and dealing with health concerns but he’s apparently still active in the industry. 
  
The charismatic Brad Pitt is closing in on being able to collect Social Security benefits and his latest role is that of a race car driver tempting fate. Age is not slowing him down; he hardly looks like someone now in his seventh decade.
  
Pitt’s Sonny Hayes has seen better days as a racer. Surviving an accident on the track that nearly ended his life and career, Sonny turned into a nomadic racer-for-hire for the past three decades, living out of a crummy van during his travels.
 
Once a promising Formula 1 racer during the 1990s, Sonny has been dubbed “the greatest that never was,” a perhaps unfortunate portrayal but one that motivates him to seek redemption once former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) convinces him to come back to Formula 1 racing. 
  
While most of the filming’s time is occupied, or so it seems, with heart-pounding Grand Prix racing action, a primary tension comes from the uneasy relationship between Sonny and budding racing star Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who’s arrogant, cocky, and impetuous but undeniably talented.
  
Known to have spent his off-track time gambling and never going anywhere without a deck of cards, Sonny’s blithe, rash and self-deprecating attitude that masks his self-confident infallibility would naturally clash with Joshua’s irritation at sharing the track with what he deems a racing dinosaur. 
  
Sonny’s old friend Ruben is the owner of the APXGP team, which is struggling at the track and on the verge of financial collapse unless things get turned around. Ruben must also appease a board of directors, including member Peter Banning (Tobias Menzies), who may have his own agenda.
  
With his return to the Grand Prix circuit, Sonny must also endure media scrutiny that is dismissive of his abilities. Sonny proves to have a sly sense of humor at a press conference by responding to a series of questions with only one-word answers.
  
Viewed as an interloper way past his prime, Sonny displays a streak of carefree independence and a stubborn ego that is at once endearing and frustrating, and yet, he eventually wins over the pit crew and the APXGP technical team.
  
Despite multiple failed marriages and his rebellious reputation, the Brad Pitt charm and winning smile comes into play with Sonny’s flirtation with Kate (Kerry Condon), the team’s technical director in a sport dominated by men. 
  
The romantic angle is a minor subplot, which seems to do nothing more than allow Brad Pitt to exude his sex appeal, and also serves like a short break in the action so that everyone can catch their breath.
  
Knowing that Sonny is supposed to be the mentor to the reluctant Joshua is central to their relationship, which is rocky and initially fraught with jealousy and contempt. You can probably guess how their rapport on a professional level will eventually evolve. 
  
Sound also plays a major part in conveying the racing thrills. Nothing beats the roar of the engine as the race cars barrel down the track. Adding to the sound mix is the throbbing score by composer Hans Zimmer, which he describes as a hybrid between electronics and orchestra.  
  
“F1: The Movie” is a high-octane spectacle for its thrilling race scenes that dominate the screen, but it is also emotionally charged with the characters of Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce working through the travails of being an ostensible team.
  
One can easily imagine Steve McQueen’s anti-hero persona and his love of auto racing would have once made him perfect casting in the Sonny Hayes role. The same could be said for motorsport enthusiast Paul Newman. 
  
McQueen and Newman played race car drivers in “Le Mans” and “Winning,” respectively, that looked realistic, with some actual race footage during Le Mans in France for the McQueen film. 
  
“F1: The Movie” goes a step further with filming during real Grand Prix weekends to deliver a propulsively authentic racing experience that is arguably unmatched by similar cinematic endeavors. 
  
That Brad Pitt and Damson Idris were trained to drive race cars at speeds up to 200 miles per hour is so amazing that Tom Cruise, master of his own daring stunts in the “Mission: Impossible” films, would be impressed by this feat.
  
Director Joseph Kosinski wanted to make the best racing movie ever made, knowing his actors would have to drive the cars to be authentic. If nothing else, “F1: The Movie” proves that the director’s mission was successful. 
  
Fans of auto racing will find that the pulse-pounding, gripping thrills of Formula 1 race cars running at top speed are best experienced on the big screen. If ever a film was made for IMAX, “F1: The Movie” stands out as a winner.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.