Sony Pictures presents Gran Truismo exclusively in UK cinemas from August 9, 2023.
Synopsis
Based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, the film is the ultimate wish fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver.
Review
How many of you read the headline for a film review called Gran Turismo and thought “but isn’t that purely a racing sim?” I did the exact same thing when I heard that director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) was taking on the PlayStation franchise and bringing it to the big screen. That piece of accidental misdirection is probably by the film has found itself re-christened as Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story in recent days.
The film is actually a biopic of professional driver Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), himself an avid player of the Gran Turismo games. Mardenborough rose through the ranks of gamers across the globe, eventually finding himself earning a place at the GT Academy before going on to sign a lucrative contract with Nissan.
Here, with a story from Jason Hall and Alex Tse, we follow Mardenborough from humble beginnings in Cardiff to the world stage. Along the way there are plenty of speed bumps as Hall and Zach Baylin’s screenplay attempts to balance solid family drama with high stakes sporting action.
Whilst Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story isn’t a video game adaption, it is a strong advert for the franchise. Footage from Gran Turismo 7 frequently pops up on screen. With the game also providing Mardenborough with the inspiration to become a professional driver, it’s hard to avoid the film feeling like somewhat of an advert that is meant to drive viewers to their consoles. It’s blatant but never distasteful or embarrassing.
As with all “based on a true story” pieces, the film does take some liberties with Mardenborough’s story. The film opens with marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) setting up the academy with the team at Nissan before quickly jumping to Mardenborough. In reality Mardenborough was the third winner of the GT Academy rather than the first. The film makes no reference to the history or even future of the academy beyond this story, instead hanging the story squarely on Mardenborough.
A problematic first half hour torments what is in fact a thoroughly enjoyable 135 minutes of cinema. From a personal perspective, I lived in Cardiff for several years so to see “Cardiff” in the film looking unrecognisable was jarring. The lack of any Welsh accents doesn’t help. There’s a lack of authenticity which plagues a number of the film’s locations which were clearly mocked on soundstages or elsewhere in the world. It’s the kind of creative and/or corporate corner cutting which hampers the film from becoming something even more successful.
Thankfully Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story has an ace up its sleeve. That ace is none other than Stranger Things‘ David Harbour. Harbour plays Jack Salter, Jann’s trainer and a former racing driver with a complex past. Salter is dragged in to the GT Academy through a mix of Moore’s begging and a loathing for Nicholas Capa (Josha Stradowski) a young, arrogant driver for whom he has been working. Though Salter and Mardenborough’s relationship is absolutely a paint-by-numbers story, both actors sell it incredibly well with an undeniable chemistry.
Anyone expecting that Harbour arrived on set and simply phoned it in is sadly mistaken. His commitment to Salter and the script is ultimately the saviour of Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story. He brings a depth and integrity to the film without which the human drama just wouldn’t work. Other members of the cast – looking at you Geri Horner aka Ginger Spice – could certainly have learnt a thing or two from Harbour’s approach.
There is an odd back-and-forth where the film’s two key drivers – the drama and the sport – vie for audience attention. A quirky scene with Mardenborough enjoying jazz will lighten the mood and engage the audience. But it will be followed by an uninspired and lengthy beauty shot of an indeterminate race track. Then in a tonal flip-flop, following a fatal car accident that truly knocks the air out of the audience, we watch in horror as Horner and on-screen husband Djimon Hounsou struggle to find balance in their reactions. It’s as though neither element is fully developed and constantly trying to compensate for the other.
On the whole the racing is exhilarating. Through the competition we follow Mardenborough around the world as he competes on a number of legendary tracks. Setting the scene is one of the most humdrum parts of the production. Whilst the drone shots are well executed they fail to capture the excitement of being trackside. It’s when the camera gets down on the ground that Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story really finds its adrenaline rush.
A number of key racing sequences push the audience to the edge of their seats, cranking up the tension and driving home the realisation that over the course of 135 minutes we’ve really come to care for Mardenborough and his eventual arrival on the podium at Le Mans. Cinematographer Jacques Jouffret (The Purge) is able to construct more than a recreation of the Gran Turismo games’ camera work. He’s really able to immerse the audience in the action which, at the end of the day, is what we want.
Verdict
After a shaky start, Gran Turismo succeeds with the arrival of David Harbour which galvanises the film. His performance sells the human drama and adds gravitas to the endless beauty shots of race tracks. At times exhilarating, at others frustrating. But always entertaining.
⭐⭐⭐
