By 1976, the glory days of Irish footballer and legendary playboy George Best were well behind him. Kicked out of Manchester United aged 28 and addicted to booze and gambling, he was a pale shadow of his former self, many argued - a fallen superstar.
In a World Cup qualifier that year, Best's lowly Northern Ireland side travelled to the Netherlands, to face a formidable Dutch team synonymous with greatness and captained by dribbling genius Johan Cruyff. Five minutes into the game, Best received the ball on the wing and, instead of heading for goal, weaved past three Dutchmen as he crossed the pitch towards Cruyff. As he approached his opponent, he dipped his shoulder and slipped the ball through Cruyff's legs, running around him to collect it with his fist raised triumphantly in the air. The nutmeg was an act of bravado aimed at a journalist who had questioned Best's fading talent.
That was an era when mercurial sportsmen led champagne lifestyles to rival those of rock 'n' roll stars and Best was, arguably, the first soccer player to transcend the sport. His hedonistic reputation and outrageous natural talent were matched at the time by only one other sportsman: racing-car driver James Hunt.
The 1970s were the golden age of Formula One and Hunt lived as fast off the track as he did on it. Hunt had the looks, the skills and an insatiable appetite for partying, making him the perfect subject of the white-knuckled (Fox Movies Premium, Saturday at 9pm). The Ron Howard movie reveals the fierce rivalry between the British driver and the brilliant, methodical Niki Lauda. Based on the true story of the astonishing 1976 season, in which both drivers were willing to risk everything to become the world's best, Rush stars phwoarsome Chris Hemsworth (above left; Thor) as the handsome, raw, talented upstart Hunt and Daniel Bruhl (above right; Inglourious Basterds) as the dour, by-the-book Austrian world champion. Both men seem so different but ultimately spend their lives chasing the same dream.
While there are plenty of seat-of-your-pants thrills for the average adrenaline-seeking petrolhead - 1976 was the year, after all, in which Lauda turned himself and his car into a fireball at Germany's Nurburgring track, leaving his face badly scarred - the movie also explores the yawning differences and subtle similarities of the two personalities. Cleverly asking you to sympathise with both men, Bruhl and Hemsworth put in excellent, career-defining performances.
Even for those who don't know their Ferraris from their McLarens, this should prove an engaging couple of hours. Much like the prodigious Georgie, Rush is one of the best.