MovieChat Forums > Rush (2013) Discussion > Who did you admire more, Hunt or Lauda?

Who did you admire more, Hunt or Lauda?

posted 11 years ago by Manifest_12
72 replies | jump to latest

Judging by their characters in the movie, who did you like/admire/identify with more, Hunt or Lauda? Here's my brief breakdown of the two from my observations:

JAMES HUNT: Impulsive, hotheaded, likes to enjoy himself (with parties, ladies, drink, racing, etc), brash, competitive, fiery.

NIKI LAUDA: Methodical, distant, prickly, intellectual, loner, desires excellence (even at the expense of enjoying himself), demanding on himself and others.

James races for the thrill of the race, the danger, and the prizes, where Niki races because he's good at it, it makes money and that's his element.

Both characters have their own way of being an A-hole. I don't think one was more humble than the other. James is a bad boy. Lauda is a machine. Judging by the movie, I don't envy either of their personal lives; where James is wild and superficial, Niki is cold and robotic. (Happiness is the enemy?) I think both belong on the track.

I give my vote to:

NIKI LAUDA

He displays a lot more control than James. His steely intellect earned my admiration early in the film. His "no-BS" straight talk means his insults are unmitigated and he'll trash you without remorse, but at the same time it means his compliments are genuine. Both men are tough, but Lauda is made of metal. Lauda was brave enough to refuse his inheritance and gamble on his dream of being a F1 driver. He was more level-headed and precise, and very disciplined.

I'll admit James had a better handle on how to live his life when not on the track, at least when he's not binging. He lives in the moment, saying "What's the point of having a million of medals, cups and planes if you don't have any fun?" Lauda lived in his head, he can't admit to even liking racing (or flying). I don't actually want to be either of them.

I rooted for Lauda the whole movie though.

[–] unilmen 9 years ago

Lauda ofcourse :D

[–] Movie_Piranha_1979 9 years ago

IMO Niki Lauda

Prostitute: What the *beep* are you doing?
Johnny: I'm gonna kill a bunch of people.

[–] gasivodo 9 years ago

Brain = Lauda
Heart = Hunt

I LOVE when there's an easy answer, not many of'em around;-)

[–] gasivodo 9 years ago

Brain = Lauda
Heart = Hunt

I LOVE when there's an easy answer, not many of'em around;-)

EDIT: Hmm double post - my bad

[–] Dennis_Cooper 9 years ago

Impossible to answer that one really. What I liked best about this story and these two men was that they showed there is more than one path to success. You can be the cold, calculating perfectionist or the hot-headed risk taker and either way can get you to your goal as long as you have the will.

[–] CloudSantaros 9 years ago

Hunt for me. I like the live in the moment attitude. Lauda was obviously more successful in his practices longterm, no contest there, but Hunt just wanted to reach the mountain top one time and prove to himself and the world he could do it. Goals are different for everyone and I can respect the fact that once was enough, versus Niki never seemingly being happy with what he had.

Jame enjoyed the spoils of his victories. Lauda was too busy asking "what's next" to enjoy his accomplishments. That being said, that's usually the difference between being really good and true greatness, which was probably true about these two men.

Madness is like gravity...

[–] Howlin Wolf 9 years ago

Hunt. He's right; there's no point in doing anything if you're not having fun... and he may have led a short life, but he packed a lot into it.

Lauda had more challenges to overcome though, and he's done it in an exemplary manner.



"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] aforandy 9 years ago

Hunt was dauntlessly physically brave, an English gentleman and a clean competitor, who lived fast, died young and won in spite of everything. I can't think of another.

Lauda was a technical member of the Volk who has been highly successful in most areas of his life; there have been many of these, and it isn't his actor portrayed on the DVD cover.

[–] steffeeric 9 years ago

This question is really what is at the heart of the movie. Obviously on first glance you would want to be James Hunt. He gets all the girls, parties hard, doesn't burn his face off and wins the championship. He had a great time living life but he never really had anything to live for outside of racing.

Niki Lauda is obviously the more admirable of the two being that he came back from a near fatal crash in a dangerously early fashion. He won 3 championships overall. He ran two of his own airlines for a while before selling them and has a net worth of over 100 million.

I was impressed with this movie and the portrayal of two similar but very different main characters. The acting was on point and the story is incredibly compelling.