With Action, Gran Turismo Crosses the Finish Line. With Drama, Not So Much

“On the basis of viscerality alone, Gran Turismo is worth the price of admission for the two-hour cruise along.”

When director Neill Blomkamp released his first film since 2015’s Chappie last month—Gran Turismo—the excitement was palpable. On paper, the movie was supposed to ride the momentum of an acclaimed director, a popular video game, and millions of new Formula 1 fans. Critics, car aficionados, and gamers all hoped for a summer blockbuster.

But then the reviews came in. They were hardly excellent, and critics left screenings feeling lukewarm. Box office disappointment has crept in more recently, with Gran Turismo grossing just over $100 million so far against a $60 million budget. The film now faces the prospect of losing money, instead of securing anything resembling a blazing finish. While the movie may indicate another entry in a series of disappointing films from Blomkamp, it does possess one powerful quality that showcases his skill as a director: its visceral nature. On the basis of viscerality alone, Gran Turismo is worth the price of admission for the two-hour cruise along.

Let us be clear: Gran Turismo is an exciting action film. Since it is first and foremost a racing flick, Blomkamp’s most important task is to do what all directors must when creating scenes that few people have the privilege to experience in their daily lives: Put the audience in the action. His success is unquestionable, making the end product a joy to watch.

Blomkamp understood that, by using tried-and-true techniques, the action would fail to exhilarate its audience. He could not just keep the camera still and film cars whizzing by. Viewers would not be able to experience fully the action from the outside looking in. Because the movie paints a picture of the pressure facing an F1 driver, Blomkamp puts the viewer inside the car as often as possible. When Jack Salter (played by David Harbour) is giving Jann Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe) directions, the director offers intense close-ups of Mardenborough’s sequences in the car. By using quick cuts and playing with sound, Blomkamp shows us the lightning-fast reflexes required to race cars professionally.