This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Becoming an F1 racer is probably the dream of many Gran Turismo gamers. However, only a few can fulfill that dream, including the British driver Jann Mardenborough. His story is so unbelievable but true that it now gets the big screen treatment by Neill Blomkamp (Demonic, District 9). For a movie about racing, Gran Turismo starts very slow, but once the engine is warm and David Harbour shows us what he got as Jann’s mentor, it picks up enormously.
F1 is a highly competitive, expensive sport, and the game Gran Turismo is no different. 19-year-old passionate gamer Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) from Cardiff spends hours saving money for his next gaming gadget and perfecting his car, racing style and record time. He spends his teenage years locked up in his room playing the game intensively, not to his parents’ liking. While his dad, Steve (Djimon Hounsou), wants him to go to university, his Mum, Lesley (Geri Halliwell-Horner), wants what’s best for her son.
They might not see how playing GT will get him a proper job, but Jann certainly does. Even more so when he wins a place at the GT Academy run by marketing executive for Nissan, Danny (Orlando Bloom), and race car engineer/ex-driver Jack Salter (David Harbour). Jann now gets to swap his game simulator for a proper, high-speed GT race car as he competes against other ‘sims’ (simulator drivers) to become Nissan’s next driver. As history taught us, Jann won that competition and became the first gamer to make it to the elite F1 level. However, playtime is over when he sees the deadly consequences of the racing world.
Those consequences aren’t the only things that make Jann’s life brutally harsh. No, there are also the many prejudices he faces from other racers and, of course, the doubts, anger and sadness from his parents. While those aspects make this movie the usual underdog story, writers Jason Hall (American Sniper, Spread), Zach Baylin (Creed III, King Richard) and Alex Tse (Superfly, Watchman) avoid most of the cliches. This is because they and cinematographer Jacques Jouffret (Mile 22, Lone Survivor) capture grueling, difficult moments in an extremely captivating manner. Just like the cast of this movie, Jouffret is held back due to the slow beginning – although we see some glimpses of what he’s capable of during a police chase. Only when Jann goes to the academy, Jouffrey can put a lot of speed and dynamism into his work. This results in fast-paced, big-screen worthy and eye-catching scenes.
These scenes become even better because this is when we see most of Harbour. While the likable and fun Madekwe (Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid) is racing, Harbour (Violent Night, Stranger Things) is in the driving seat. Jack wants to prepare Jann for the worst, resulting in a strict, stern and somewhat sarcastic mentor. At the same time, he also knows that his new pupil can become the next best driver and must give him the support, love and care he needs. Because of that duality, Harbour’s intense physicality and emotional performance, Jack oozes that ‘hard bolster but soft interior’ vibe.
Harbour’s performance might be strong, but sadly, we can’t say the same about Danny and Jann’s love interest Audrey, because neither Bloom (Elizabethtown, Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl) nor Maeve Courtier-Lilley (The Outpost, The Red King) get a lot to work with. This results in flat, underdeveloped and maybe even unnecessary characters. The only supporting actor in this movie who gets the chance to shine brightly is Hounsou (Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, The King’s Man) as the loving but strict father.
The relationship between Jann and Jack, which comes to life beautifully thanks to the great chemistry between Madekwe and Harbour, is the heart of Gran Turismo and not so much the game or race competition itself. F1 and/or gaming lovers might appreciate the thrilling chases and famous tracks much more, but that doesn’t mean non-gamers won’t like this movie. Even if you only want to see a film with a great soundtrack, then surely “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath and “Moon over the Castle” by Bring Me The Horizon do the trick.
Gran Turismo is far from perfect. Blomkamp struggles with bringing more emotional and dramatic moments to the big screen, and some performances could be better. However, what might be a big corporate advertisement for Nissan, is still a very entertaining movie. The adrenaline-packed racing scenes, the powerful performance by Harbour and Madekwe’s engaging acting makes Gran Turismo a feature for everyone.
Gran Turismo gets a limited release in US theaters on the 11th of August courtesy of Sony Pictures, followed by a wide release on the 25th of August.
The strong performances by Harbour and Madekwe and stunning cinematography make Gran Turismo a very high-speed and entertaining movie!
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GVN Rating 7
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