Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia
HANWAYThe racing sports drama is currently experiencing a form of renascence within the form of media. F1 (Formula F1) is at an all time high within the racing circuit and dramatic distribution with Drive to Survive on Netflix. The cinematic distinction has been slow and in between – not only in contemporary fashion but throughout the course of film media with Le Man, Grand Prix, Days of Thunder, Speed Racer – all releasing to cult favouritism but never a greater scale of critically or commercial success. Fast forward to the last decade, with the releases of Rush, Ford V Ferrari (LeMan 66), and critical success has somewhat turned albeit with the likes of Gran Turismo and Michael Mann’s Ferrari aiming to find the larger commercial value with an outcome yet to be truly seen.
Here in enters Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia, a lighter version of the above mentioned racing vehicle on all fronts, albeit an engaging and entertaining venture that is wholeheartedly held up by the performance of Riccardo Scamaarcio. Directed by Stefano Mordini, Audi vs Lancia is a film that wrestles with the backdrop of racing and the action of racing itself. While the above mentioned racing type ventures are quite centric in the sport itself, Mordini’s film throughout perhaps forgets but more so pushes that notion of engagement and immersion away and travels the road of exploring character. The main issue is that to understand the character is to understand the push and intoxicating of racing and in this specific context: rallying. This is a film that never gives a definitive or engaging answer to the aloft questioning of putting body and mind to the rest, perhaps it’s an indication of never truly having an answer and the macabre nature of the unknown or indescribable visceral force in winning.
Alas, this line of questioning is put forward but never answered, so ultimately when the feature wrestled with and showcased the politics of racing, Scamaarcio and Daniel Bruhl enter the forary. While this dynamic is self-titled, it leaves quite a lot to be desired in terms of content, of which it is both lacking and severely lacklustre. This is a film about Lancia fighting gassing Audi and therefore follows Scammarcio rather than his counter part in Bruhl whom, in reality, has three sequences with the former is almost nonexistent throughout. For a feature that fails to highlight the mood of racing or the tension between two teams wrestling with economic and societal reassurance of their enterprises, it’s somewhat shocking to see what eventual narrative core and plotting is left? Bruhl has next to nothing to do. The audience don’t see the side of his career with Audi nor an equal desperation to achieve which then severely lacks narrative intensity and contradicts the namesake of its own title.
The experience all just comes down to the stresses of Scammarcio and Lancia to survive, resulting in a conventional and contrived notion of storytelling. It becomes both predictable and flat in its intentions and, sadly, is the very definition of where this venture lands. That being said, Scammarcio does a terrific job of humanising and crafting an engaging character through a terrific juggling of tone; specifically being humour and drama. The basic keystones of any performance but one that is in so desperate need of being engaging due to the surround flat narrative. Scammarcio brings a level of desperation and justification for his character which in turn elevates the intensity and atmosphere of the events unfold which does justify the immersion within the narrative but quite bluntly is the only reason to justify the viewing experience.
To go even further in terms of cinematic craft, Stefano Mordini and cinematographer Luigi Martinucci curate a very basic but content creation that hits the conventional highs and lows of contrived racing venture. Close ups and edits of a roaring exhaust complement intense close ups of fear in the eyes, helicopter shots to follow burning rubber and rubble bursting out of the intensity of under an Audi and Lancia. It’s all here and works both conceptually and visually but never a visceral sense of bursting energy or ethereal feeling. It’s all very much basic albeit engaging workmanlike investment which evokes the very same sentiments to its audience.
In a world in which the likes of Rush, Speed Racer, Days of Thunder, Le Man 66 are echoed sentiments of energy and enthusiasm in vested interested from its filmmakers upon the material, Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia fails to entice that type of energy or personification with its material. Therefore, the interest and engagement of wanting to find this and ultimately view it in a world of far greater and immersive pieces of work is a faded and unnecessary venture to seek out.
