A glossy, crowd-pleasing racing drama that leans hard into speed, spectacle, and old-school movie-star charisma. It’s formulaic in places, but the visceral track sequences and mentorship dynamic make it an easy recommendation for anyone who wants a big theatrical adrenaline rush.
F1
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Action · Drama
Wed · 2h 36m
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem
Overview
Racing legend Sonny Hayes is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team—and mentor a young hotshot driver—while chasing one more chance at glory.
Director
Joseph Kosinski
Cast
Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, crowd-pleasing racing drama that leans hard into speed, spectacle, and old-school movie-star charisma. It’s formulaic in places, but the visceral track sequences and mentorship dynamic make it an easy recommendation for anyone who wants a big theatrical adrenaline rush.
Best for
fans of high-octane sports dramas
viewers who want immersive theatrical spectacle
audiences who enjoy mentor-protégé stories
people who like slick, propulsive blockbuster filmmaking
Skip if
you want a deeply original script
you dislike formulaic underdog arcs
you prefer intimate character studies over spectacle
motor-racing action does not interest you
Overview
F1 is built to do one thing very well: make speed feel physical. Joseph Kosinski turns the cockpit into a pressure cooker, and the racing footage has a clean, muscular clarity that sells both danger and exhilaration. The movie knows exactly when to let the engines roar and when to pull back for the human stakes, even if those stakes are familiar.
Worth noting
Brad Pitt gives the film its easy swagger, playing a veteran who survives on instinct, ego, and muscle memory. The mentor-younger-driver dynamic gives the story a dependable emotional spine, while the team politics and comeback structure keep it moving with commercial efficiency. It’s not trying to reinvent the sports drama, but it is trying to make every lap feel like a final lap.
Bottom line
What lingers most is the scale of the filmmaking: the sound, the velocity, the sense of being inside a machine that can punish one mistake instantly. If you want a polished blockbuster that treats Formula 1 as both a sport and a spectacle, this delivers. If you need narrative surprise, it may feel too familiar, but the craft is strong enough to carry the ride.
Top Letterboxd reviews
timtamtitus (4.5★) · 40377 likes
Radio: “Box, Box, Box!” Brad Pitt: “WHAT’S IN THE BOX”
shrekfan1234 (4★) · 33234 likes
can’t wait for F2
Adam (2.5★) · 25344 likes
So when Brad Pitt crashes a bunch of cars it’s “the blockbuster event of the summer” but when I do it I’m a “liability” and “an insurance risk.”
hunter strawberry (4.5★) · 21956 likes
how can you explain a generic title like "f1 the movie" when "pitt-stop" was literally there for the taking
Jake (4★) · 20853 likes
brad pitt: i'm going to crash every car you own. javier bardem: LISAN AL GAIB
Themes
comeback, mentorship, competition, team dynamics, redemption, ambition, risk and adrenaline, sportsmanship