F1: The Movie Review
F1: The Movie (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Joseph Kosinski, written by Ehren Kruger and Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia, Sarah Niles, Will Merrick, Joseph Balderrama, Abdul Salis, Callie Cooke, Samson Kayo, Simon Kunz, Liz Kingsman, Simone Ashley and Ramona Von Pusch.
You don’t have to know anything about race car driving or “Formula One” to completely enjoy director Joseph Kosinski’s big-budget blockbuster, F1: The Movie. To start, Brad Pitt is one of the most underutilized talents in Hollywood these days. He made many big films in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, but nothing he has previously done can prepare audiences for his tremendous work in F1: The Movie. Pitt is an aging star in Hollywood and, in this new role, the actor proves that he still has what it takes to carry a movie and drive it to the finish line with a truly captivating performance.
Pitt portrays Sonny Hayes, a big-time gambler who’s been hospitalized for physical injuries before. Sonny’s dad died when he was young, and he lived a life that kept him on the edge. Sonny meets his match in Joshua Pearce (the remarkable and well-cast Damson Idris) who teams up with Sonny for a race that will test both of their talents as well as their will to thrive under intense circumstances. Joshua lost his dad when he was young, too. These two main characters here will challenge and complement each other in dramatic and powerful moments within the film and both Pitt and Idris are both more than capable of maintaining the viewer’s attention as audiences will root for both of these characters in equal increments.
Ruben Cervantes (the always terrific Javier Bardem) has a feeling that Sonny could be the one to help represent his team when Ruben handpicks Sonny to race. Ruben and Sonny have a detailed past together and, in Sonny, Ruben sees the potential for one more shot at glory that would redeem Sonny for the road he went off track from over the course of his younger life.
Kerry Condon plays the engineer, Kate McKenna, who is divorced and could be a potential romantic interest for Sonny even though, at one point, she claims to have professional boundaries that would prevent her from doing so. Condon and Pitt sizzle in their scenes together even though their love sequences are minimal. That’s because you don’t have to reveal too much bedroom chemistry to show when a couple of people find comfort in each other’s company and challenge one another in various ways. Kosinski presents two finely orchestrated characterizations with both Kate and Sonny here.
Tobias Menzies plays Peter Banning, a businessman who may not have Sonny’s best interests in mind in one way although he certainly has a plan for Sonny. One of the most crowd-pleasing moments in F1: The Movie comes when Sonny finally rejects Peter’s own personal ideals regarding Sonny’s future in order to follow his own path. Sonny hilariously texts Peter the middle finger in a funny and well-realized scene that puts Peter’s ideals to rest.
Let’s not forget scene-stealer Sarah Niles who plays Bernadette who won’t let Sonny live down a particular situation when he may have indirectly gotten Bernadette’s son, Joshua, into some unwanted trouble. Joshua’s fingers become burnt due to an accident and that takes him out of the race for a bit. Niles has but a few scenes, but plays them well as she threatens Sonny that she will take him down if he endangers Joshua again. However, was it Sonny’s fault that Joshua got hurt? That’s the question the movie takes some time to answer.
Now, the racing scenes are nothing short of insanely intense here. Hans Zimmer’s score keeps the momentum pumping as Sonny may be questioning if he belongs in the driver’s seat. It doesn’t matter because Sonny has gotten in way over his head in this almost impossible challenge with Ruben. Sonny must ride this challenge all the way to the finish line or die trying. The intensified racing scenes crackle with tension and are of the highest caliber. This film’s massive budget is all up on the screen and audiences will enjoy the results immensely.
Javier Bardem may have one of the hardest jobs here and he pulls it off. His character is the one who tries to make Sonny quit amidst discouraging news, but Sonny’s passion to drive and to prove himself worthy again could overcome the safer option to just simply walk away from everything. Bardem and Pitt’s scenes together are masterful and it’s great to see accomplished actors like these in such exciting roles.
Pitt is almost the whole show, though. He becomes Sonny in such a way that he breathes and moves just like the character he creates. This isn’t just Pitt’s persona. Rather, this is a well-written character which is one of the best of Pitt’s career. Though at the film’s end, Sonny may still have the drive to race, he is more interested in passing the torch on to those younger men (Joshua, in particular) who share his courage and determination. That’s if Sonny manages to survive this challenge he sets before himself.
Condon, again, brings depth to her character and she also brings tremendous energy to the table. A funny scene has Joshua and Sonny playing cards. Sonny apparently loses a hand to a pair of fives. Kate isn’t going to move forward with a romance with a guy who lost to a pair of fives though we find out Sonny may just have more than one winning hand when it comes to cards, devotion and passion for Kate, not to mention the thrill of racing.
F1: The Movie is the type of blockbuster that will survive in Hollywood forever. It’s a movie about the will to find success even under the most daring and dangerous of circumstances. Pitt is a genuine movie star in every way and keeps this picture from ever feeling familiar or boring. Each racing scene is more of a rush to watch than the previous one and the score by Zimmer simply doesn’t let up. If Pitt is back for more great roles, I’d be more than thrilled. F1: The Movie is Sonny’s last hurrah as he must prove he was (and still is) the real deal to any naysayers who may have underestimated him. Quite simply, this movie is about the quest to achieve a dream. Only those who live it can understand it and Sonny makes it happen at any cost. This is what film-making is all about.
Rating: 10/10
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