Race for Glory: the review of the film with Riccardo Scamarcio

In Race for Glory, when he nervously walks along the track, while his drivers are racing or doing test laps, Cesare Fiorio he always holds his chronometer in his hand: it is his amuletaccompanies him everywhere and never manages to separate from it. It is the instrument with which he measures the time, his worst enemythe one he must defeat in every race to be the best and WIN. It is precisely the thirst for victory that gives meaning to Fiorio's days: for him defeat is never even contemplated, all that matters is being first. Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancethe new film directed by Stefano Mordiniis the story of a success story Italianof the extraordinary ability of Cesare Fiorio and his team to push themselves beyond the limit, to the point of triumphing in one of the most heartfelt rivalries in the history of racing: that between Audi and Lancia.

We are in the 1983. The WRC (World Rally Championship) is experiencing its moment of glory and the Italians, fresh from the success at the 1982 World Cup, have found another team to support: it is the team Lance driven by Cesare Fiorio (Riccardo Scamarcio)the sporting director, who in those years competed for the title with Audiled by Roland Gumpert (Daniel Brühl). The Germans are stronger, they can count on bigger budgets and on a car that seems unbeatable: the A1 driven by Hannu Mikkola (Gianmaria Martini), a car equipped with four-wheel drive that seems to have the championship in its grasp even before it begins. Although the premises seem to lead him towards certain defeat, Fiorio doesn't give up: he believes so much in his own Lance 037the car that will compete for the Italian car manufacturer, and entrusts it to Walter Röhrl (Volker Bruch)one of the greatest drivers in the history of rallying. Röhrl is reluctantno longer wants to race, he would like to dedicate his life to beekeeping, a hobby that has now become a real obsession, but he is convinced only after testing the car: he drives around the test track in 37 secondsi, the same ones to whom the Lancia 037 owes its name, and agrees to run only the most beautiful and least tiring races. The championship thus begins amidst a thousand uncertainties and Cesare Fiorio, aided by Ennio (Giorgio Montanini) And Jane McCoy (Katie Clarkson-Hill)will accompany his team towards victory, managing to beat their bitter rivals, with great tenacity and a hint of cunning.

Matteo Leonetti

Watching Race of Glory one rediscovers one's patriotism. It's what is always kept hidden, which comes out at sporting events or when we start discussing what the best cuisine in the world is. The film succeeds because it offers a character, best played by Riccardo Scamarcio, which is Italian through and through. It lights up when he is provoked by his opponents or his superiors, as when he meets him in the elevator Gianni Agnelliplayed by his nephew Lapo Elkann, who tells him: «Do you know what my nephew asked me for his birthday? An Audi Quattro. These Germans are strong. Good work and good luck.” The Italian character of the protagonist extends to the entire context in which he lives: the craftsmanship skills of Lancia collaborators who, thanks to their sense of adaptation, always manage to resolve the most troubled situations. Scene after scene you become attached to the characters and end up rooting for the pilotsalthough we already know the ending of the story, thanks also to the engaging racing sequences, very canonical and similar to other films that share the same themes, such as Rush by Ron Howard, which tells the story of the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Although the story flows and the film has a short duration (107 minutes)viewers are required to have a little patience: when the ending is clear to everyone, the pace drops and then rises again in the last minutesi, giving the impression of witnessing some superfluous scenes. The cast is well assorted. Richard Scamarcio conveys the obsession with victory of Cesare Fioriogives him a crafty, almost fraudulent attitude, but also reveals his fragilities when he finds himself having to deal with his own mistakes. Daniel Bruhl And Roland Gumpertsucceeds in his aim of being unpleasant: he is astute and always seems to give himself a winning tone, he has class and tends to be almost snobbish, he lives in a perpetual crossroads between the charismatic and the unbearable. Volker Bruch interprets Walter Rörhlhis is a dazed version of the pilot: very strong but almost dissociated from reality. He embodies the stereotype of the talented sportsman who succeeds in what he does without particular effort, we see him close his eyes while he drives and not care about his own personal victory. Some characters who would have deserved more space are not explored in depth: such as Jane McCoy played by Katie Clarkson-Hillthe doctor who joins Fiorio's team, and Michele Mouton impersonated by Esther Garrelhistoric rally champion who are relegated to a minor role in the film.

Race for Glory tells the golden years of a sport that no longer enjoys the same popularity, enhances the spirit of sacrifice and the risk needed to achieve certain goals. The film takes us back to a distant era in which stories like that of Cesare Fiorio were possible and today would appear unlikely, in which technology is totally absent and money has not yet completely contaminated the sporting environment, in that time in which David could still beat Goliath.