The merciless rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, set against the exhilarating and dangerous world of Formula One in the 1970s, makes nail-biting viewing in Ron Howard's riveting Rush.

It was a time when racing drivers could take unnecessary risks in the pursuit of glory which resulted in at least two deaths every year.

Writer Peter Morgan, who worked with Howard on Frost/Nixon, paints an exciting and entertaining world of fast cars, sex, champagne and madmen and dreamers who were happy to face death in order to win.

He zealously traces the birth of the Hunt and Lauda rivalry which then came to an explosive head in the 1976 F1 season.

Howard combines the drama on and off the grand prix track with masterful precision. The racing scenes are breathtakingly thrilling but it is the bitter competition between the two men that takes centre stage.

Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl are magnificent as Hunt and Lauda, personalities who were poles apart.

The charismatic Hunt was a posh, hard-drinking and smoking, fun-loving lothario while Lauda was serious, hard-working and only focused on winning.

You can't help but smile at Hemsworth's swaggering Hunt while Bruhl will move you to tears as the steely no-nonsense Lauda who returned from the brink of death solely determined to beat Hunt.

Even if you have no interest in F1 you cannot fail to be drawn in and be captivated by this compelling drama.

Maria Duarte