Pam says:
Who doesn’t love a good racing movie? We all loved and remember “American Graffiti,” “Days of Thunder,” “Rush,” “Ford v Ferrari,” and even “Telledaga Nights” just to mention a few from the car racing films of the past. And now, based on the video game Gran Turismo comes the movie based on a true story about one young gamer who attempted to jump into the big leagues and race a real car.
The unique racing challenge, brought to you by Nissan and the brainchild of Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), auditioned a small group of these quick-twitch reflex gaming prodigies to find the chosen one in the form of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe). To be considered was a dream come true, but to win amongst the big boys of the racing industry is yet another game altogether.
We meet Jann, a middle class Brit whose parents are frustrated with Jann’s gaming focus. At the same moment, Jack Salter (David Harbor) is floundering in his profession as a race car technician, looking for a way out. Jack and Jann’s paths cross and Jack attempts to impart a lifetime of racing knowledge upon this confident group of young people including Jann in an attempt to prove everyone wrong.
First, “Gran Turismo” confidently and smartly knows it has a built-in audience of tens of millions of viewers as those are the numbers of Gran Turismo gamers out there, all over the world. It portrays that every game driver’s dream can come true…a gamer can actually race. The film is bound to be a financial success, however, the box office take won’t tell the whole story.
Where this film crosses the finish line is with its cinematography and special effects. The film’s creators meld the gaming world into the real world which allows us into Jann’s mind as he makes choices and understands his car. It’s an amalgam of the two worlds and it works beautifully. We also become spectators during the races as we see it from various perspectives. From inside the car, in the pit, above it or in the stands, it becomes dizzying albeit creative. It feels as if the director, Neill Blomkamp, pushes too hard to make sure we see it all but the edits are too quick and the effect is overused.
Medekwe perfectly embodies the real life version of his character of Jann who participates in the film to varying degrees. Harbor has a firm grasp on his portrayal of Jack who alludes to a regretful past and Bloom, passionate as Moore, is committed as well. While all three actors demonstrate skill in their portrayals, there’s something missing with “Gran Turismo.” I left the theater feeling dissatisfied. Figuring out the missing piece of the puzzle was difficult until I dissected what I loved so much about other car racing movies like “Rush” and “Ford v Ferrari.” It’s the relationship that is the main event in these two films and with “Gran Turismo” it’s the race. While there are a few sprinkles of relationship issues and development within the film, there’s no real focus on this which decreases our connectedness with the main character and creates a lackluster, one-dimensional story.
“Gran Tursimo” falls short and becomes nothing more than a racing movie with a narrative arc we are all expecting. Great cinematography and special effects/stunts cannot make up for a flat storyline that lacks human connection. The car and racing should be the vehicle (no pun intended) for the story and not the other way around.
2 1/2 stars
Chalk up Neill Blomkamp’s “Gran Turismo” as one of the biggest missed opportunities of the 2023 cinematic campaign. Ostensibly a feature-length commercial for the PlayStation video game, the film has an intriguing backstory that’s compelling fodder for a sports movie – a nobody from England gets a chance to compete on an international stage in a highly dangerous competition, proving the naysayers that he belongs. It’s a tried-and-true formula that’s proved successful since the days of silent movies. The story itself, based on real-life incidents proves to be the film’s strong suit, bolstered by solid performances from its cast.
Yet, the irony is whenever “Turismo” takes to the track, it’s the visual equivalent of a manic 20-car pileup in a serpentine curve. Blomkamp’s approach to the races is entirely misguided, as his focus is on the technique of filming these contests, rather than the skill that goes into competing in them. The result is a frustrating muddle, one in which the filmmaker shots himself in the foot, wasting a myriad of opportunities to deliver a genuinely thrilling movie.
In an effort to spark interest in a younger demographic for their cars, Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) makes a radical proposition to the execs at PlayStation, who feature his company’s autos in their video game “Gran Turismo.” He wants to hold a contest in which the ten best players of the game are invited to a camp where they will be trained to drive real race cars and compete in sanctioned international races.
The suits-in-charge agree and the action shifts to England where Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) is doing what he does every day – sitting in his room, playing “Gran Turismo.” His parents (Djimon Hounsou and Geri Horner) see no future in this, but the kid can’t be swayed, convinced he’ll be able to help design cars one day. A large step towards realizing this dream occurs when he wins Moore’s contest and is invited to the inaugural racing camp with nine other hopefuls from around the world.
The film hits its stride here, thanks in large part to David Harbour, who embraces his role of racing instructor Jack Salter and runs with it. An ex-racer, who admittedly sets out to fail his charges due to the deadly nature of the sport, the actor brings a sense of vulnerability, and ultimately humility, to what could have been just another curmudgeon-with-a-heart-of-gold stereotype.
The relationship, one that begins contentiously but develops into one of mutual respect, between Mardenborough and Salter proves to be the linchpin of the movie. The two actors interact beautifully with one another, their moments have an emotional spark that’s missing on the racetrack. However, so much time is spent on this dynamic that the troubled relationship between the young racer and his parents is shortchanged, a mistake that’s hard to overlook what with so much of the first act being devoted to it.
“Turismo” could have overcome this had it delivered during its racing sequences, which make up the bulk of the movie. Unfortunately, Blomkamp’s ego is in the driver’s seat, letting us know down every straight away in each turn that he’s there. Swooping helicopter shots, cut to images of the cars’ dashboards or the engine’s pistons turning, while moments in which we actually see the vehicles on the track are too brief, rapidly replaced by a glimpse of the brakes being applied or a racer’s anguished expression.
One need only to look to Ron Howard’s sorely underappreciated “Rush” to see how these events should be captured and displayed on screen. The multiple tiny cameras he placed on, in and around the cars provided the viewer with the closest experience many of us are likely to get to being in a high-performance sportscar. With “Turismo,” we are merely spectators, much like the video game players who drove that game to success. It’s a shame Blomkamp couldn’t get out of his own way to drive this one into the winner’s circle. Instead, it’s an unfortunate also-ran.
2 1/2 Stars
