This whole idea of having gamers compete for a chance to drive in real cars is the brainchild of Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), a marketing executive for Nissan. He sells the board on this contest as a way to tap an 80 million person market for selling Nissan cars. (That’s the number of players of Gran Turismo worldwide!) The Nissan folks back Danny’s idea and soon he’s forming a team to come up with a special camp for the top ten Turismo players in the world to compete for a spot on Team Nissan.
Enter Jann Mardenborough, a young working class Londoner who’s obsessed with Gran Turismo. His father Steve (an excellent Djimon Hounsou) thinks he’s wasting his time, feeling that Jann’s time would be better spent preparing for the working class world in which he thinks is the entire family’s destiny. Things change when Jann wins an online Gran Turismo race and qualifies for the racing academy. Unfortunately he finds that racing a real piece of machinery is just a tad different then the real thing. This point is hammered home by the engineer and pit leader of the project, a former racer named Jack Salter (David Harbour) who comes off like a slightly less profane version of Gunnery Seargeant Hartman from “Full Metal Jacket” when it comes to motivating these would be drivers. Jann does persevere and soon finds himself with the big boys, hoping to live out his dream of being a world class race car driver. Will he succeed? (Seriously, what do you think?)
“Gran Turismo” is a narrative cheese-fest of the highest order, with the script by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin leaving no cliche unturned is their underdog tale. That it’s based on a true story doesn’t make it any less so. But here’s the thing: about halfway through the movie something awesome happens and everything starts to work, drawing you in and making you root for Jann and become invested in his journey. The cliches are still there, but Blomkamp’s direction and some really strong performances make them go down better then the proverbial “spoonful of sugar.” Harbour is particularly effective as the dour Salter, a man who sees more than a passing resemblance to his younger self in the talented Jann. Madekwe grows on you as Jann, a man driven by the desire to race more than the desire to play a video game. The outcome is never really in doubt, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t grabbing my theater armrests during the tesion filled last race. (It just happens to be the legendary 24-hour race at Le Mans, so that helps.)
The real MVP here is Blomkamp, returning to his “District 9” form as he directs a thrilling series of races, using swooping camera angles and judicious CGI enhancements to bring the audience into the terrifying and exhilarating world of road course racing. There are also a couple of accidents that are quite harrowing. Blomkamp also cleverly uses elements of the game, such as the position of Jann’s car being animated over his ride, allowing the audience to keep track of Jann’s position during the chaotic action, or showing the multiple lines of travel on the course using color graphics to simulate Jann’s analytical thinking when attempting a pass. It’s a novel way of incorporating the game into the narrative without becoming a “video game movie.”
And that, apparently, is a good thing because the folks promoting “Gran Turismo” definitely don’t want you to think of this as a video game movie. Even the title has “based on a true story” tacked on and that little factoid is splattered all over the film’s marketing. They needn’t have worried, as “Gran Turismo” is a rousing piece of entertainment that features real racing and an engaging underdog story that works despite the fact that you may have seen it a million times before. Check “Gran Turismo” at the the biggest theater you can find, preferably one with a fantastic sound system. 4 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!
