Based on the unbelievable, inspiring true story of a team of underdogs – a struggling, working-class gamer, a failed former race car driver, and an idealistic motorsport exec – who risk it all to take on the most elite sport in the world.
Director Neill Blomkamp burst onto the scene with his 2009 sci-fi hit, “District 9.” He followed it up with two more sci-fi-related movies, “Elysium” and “Chappie,” and in between his features, he keeps busy by making short films. With his latest movie, he proves that he is more than capable of tackling his preferred sci-fi genre, as he infuses “Gran Turismo” with an abundance of emotion, drama, and crowd-pleasing sentiment, following some of the most exciting race car driving scenes I have ever witnessed.
Based on the PlayStation Studios video game series of the same name, it tells the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo player from Wales who aspired to one day be a real race car driver and gets the chance when Nissan sponsors a video game competition, where the winner will become an actual professional race car driver.
The movie stars Archie Madekwe in the starring role of Jann Mardenborough, whose own father, Steve (Djimon Hounsou), continues to pressure him into doing more with his life instead of playing driving simulators all day. An ex-professional soccer player, he now works at the local railway yard, his football career long behind him, and he criticizes Jann daily on the importance of doing something with his life so he won’t end up where he is.
After winning the video game competition, Jann is introduced to his boss, Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), a Nissan motorsport marketing executive who created the contest, and Jack Salter (David Harbour), Jann’s trainer and a one-time driving legend whose career came crashing down after a deadly crash at Le Mans years earlier.
Once Jann gets behind the wheel of a real car, Jack continues to berate and disparage him, feeling that he’s not up to the challenge and hoping he will drop out before he kills himself or someone else. However, after a while, Jann proves that while he still has much to learn, he can hold his own. Eventually, the two men bond, and as Jann gradually works his way up from the bottom, a fatal car crash puts Jann in the hospital and takes the life of a spectator, forcing both men to re-evaluate their lives and Jann’s racing career.
Archie Madekwe, in the starring role, does a commendable job as the likable but determined Jann Mardenborough. Orlando Bloom is fine as the team’s manager but is essentially underutilized, with very little to do but look perplexed and solemn most of the time. David Harbour steals the show as the cantankerous trainer whose paternal instincts kick in as his relationship with Jann develops, both learning mutual respect for each other.
Director Neill Blomkamp excels in a genre outside of his comfort zone. The film possesses the right amount of drama, racing action, and levity, allowing you to see much of what goes on behind the scenes of a major race. The movie utilizes a vast array of dizzying drone footage, allowing the audience to experience what it’s like to be on a real race track from both the drivers’ perspectives but also a spectator’s.
While based on a true story, the filmmakers take dramatic license, adding scenes that are needed to help the characters develop, and this is often the norm for true story adaptations. As I mentioned earlier, sports-themed films are not my thing, but I am so glad I gave this one a chance because it’s one of the best pulse-pounding films to come out of Hollywood so far this year, and the fact that you literally want to get up and cheer for Jann means the filmmakers did something right.
In Theaters Friday, August 25th
