This Is Not a Simulation Anymore – Gran Turismo Review

“Gran Turismo,” directed by the Neill Blomkamp, takes viewers on a ride, combining a real-life underdog story with thrilling racing sequences set against the backdrop of perhaps the most well-known racing sim games of all time. But can it keep its performance up until the chequered flag? Let’s find out.

I woke up on the morning of the screening with ambivalent emotions. On the one hand, I have fond memories of the earlier installments of Kazunori Yamauchi’ legendary racing game. While I am not that much of a gamer today, I can distinctly remember trying (and mostly failing) to beat my dad as a kid back in the late 1990s playing Gran Turismo 2 on the original PlayStation. On the other hand, whenever I hear the term game-related movie, good old Uwe Boll’s name immediately springs into my mind, but thanks to the fact that “Gran Turismo” focuses mostly on the incredible real-life story of Jann Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe), and not just the game itself, this lingering bad feeling was put to bed rather quickly after the room went dark.

The film kicks off with the classic setting of a kid, who dreams of becoming a real-life racing driver one day, sitting in front of the screen all day playing a racing game all day, much to his father’s (Djimon Hounsou) disapproval. Coming from a working-class family in Wales, Jann’s plans look like a pipe dream, until witty motorsport marketing exec Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) comes up with a plan to make the world’s best Gran Turismo players compete against each other for a spot among the big boys racing real cars. However, in order to teach sim racers about the tricks of the trade, he needs a pro trainer with real life experience, who ends up being Jack Salter (David Harbour), a tough-but-fair down-on-luck American veteran driver who once competed at the Le Mans 24-hours race.

So, long story short, Jann quickly realizes that he has to work harder than ever in order to succeed. Madekwe does a remarkably good job at playing the young talent lacking in confidence, yet never giving up hope whatever setback he faces, and oh boy, does he face some big ones (props to writers Jason Hall and Zach Baylin for turning a true story into one fit for the screen). Without spoiling the movie, let me just say that there are some unexpectedly dark twists which raise the movie from the “decent” into the “pretty darn good” tier. The supporting cast also does a stellar job. Harbour is perfectly cut out for roles like these, acting as an old-school, grumpy veteran of any trade with a heart of gold, be it a police chief or a racer, performing in an almost Nick Nolte-esque fashion. Bloom (the age is catching up to Legolas, doesn’t it) is a perfect counterpart to him, always keeping business as his first priority. However, the standout for me here is Josha Stradowski as Nicholas Capa, a rival racer, and Salter’s former employer, with a bad temper born with a silver spoon in his mouth and raised with a horribly kitschy golden racecar under him. No redeeming qualities, pure hatred against the heroes of the story, and facial expressions which make your hand curl into a fist. Truly annoying yet wonderful.

The racing sequences are spectacular, and did I mention that the real Jann Mardenborough did stunts for his counterpart in “Gran Turismo”? The legendary racetracks from the Nürburgring to Le Mans look great, and the cars are enough to make any petrolhead’s heartbeat faster. The filmmaker’s idea to blend some of the game’s graphics with the driving footage turned out rather well, some aspects such as the racing lines are immediately recognizable even to those who only played the game just once or twice. I am also fairly certain that some scenes were nods to real life incidents, for example when Mardenborough walks up to Capa to give him a piece of mind after a race recalls shades of the infamous case of F1 great Michael Schumacher jumped out of his car in the pits looking to whack some sense into David Coulthard until he was stopped by his crew. The non-racing sequences are also splendid, and well up to the standards of recent films shot in Hungary. Those who have already visited Budapest might even be familiar with some of the interiors in the film, which speaks volumes about the city’s versatility in providing a location even if the plot does not include the Hungarian capital.

There are perhaps two things that drag the movie down just a bit. One is the predictability of some of the race-ending nail biter moments. While sometimes they indeed glue you to your seat, sometimes they are just too predictable. Everybody knows that the good guy wins when it matters most, so the real drama and catharsis moments fall a tiny bit short in just one or two cases. The other issue is the love story. While Audrey, Jann’s love interest played by Maeve Courtier-Lilley, is a likeable character, their relationship and prior history is largely lacking in details and exploration.

“Gran Turismo” is a true high-octane ride, and despite some minor flaws, it is well worth your time, especially if you are a fan of motorsports or just want to see a good underdog story based on real life.