McLaren (2017)

Directed by: Roger Donaldson | 89 minutes | documentary, action, drama | Actors: Dwayne Cameron, Matt Coldrick | Starring: Mario Andretti, Alastair Caldwell, Emerson Fittipaldic

Helmet on, start the engine, give it a lot of gas and go! There is no doubt that the adrenaline rushes through the bodies of drivers when they race around a circuit at top speed. Bruce McLaren was such a talented speed demon. The New Zealander became world famous when he won his first Grand Prix in 1959 at the age of 22 and managed to achieve more victories in the years that followed. The name McLaren will immediately ring a bell with Formula 1 fans. But the story behind it is probably less known. ‘McLaren’ focuses entirely on the person behind the well-known car design, which has also grown since the 1960s into one of the oldest and most successful F1 racing teams ever. Reason enough for director Roger Donaldson to process Bruce’s special life story in a biographical documentary.

Using archival footage combined with all the loving memories and stories from family and friends brings Bruce’s dedication to fast cars to life. It turns out that as a child Bruce liked to play the race driver, has managed to use his talent all too well and has made it – full speed ahead – to Formula 1. The necessary knowledge and experience ensure that Bruce wants more than just racing, namely earn money and then be able to realize his dream (driving for himself and developing his own team). What follows are interesting images in which the building of an empire seems to become reality. The way racing cars develop over the years is fascinating to watch.

Although the focus in ‘McLaren’ is mainly on Bruce, the viewer is also made aware several times of all the dangers that top drivers may face. Like some of his colleagues, a tragic accident ends Bruce’s life. That this has had a major impact on many is apparent from the emotions of the people who relive the past in the documentary. A tribute to Bruce MCLaren is in order. Thanks to willpower, self-confidence and perseverance, the ambitious kiwi has achieved a lot up to the age of 32 and lives on in his cars.

The reasonably smooth alternation of images is consistent with what motorsport is all about: speed. The documentary also consists of reconstructions and a voice-over brings the letters that Bruce addressed to his family at the time to an audience. Although the reconstructed images look cinematic, the Australian director should have had more faith in the viewer’s imagination. Re-enacted events make the content less personal, because it is especially the archive material that appeals and shows who the real Bruce was. The use of various fragments from ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (1969), on the other hand, is a nice find. Bruce, according to a friend’s recollection, would have been quite impressed with the western. Specific scenes from the film have been appropriately edited, linking (metaphorically) to a particular event in Bruce’s life. The thought that this is the last film Bruce McLaren has watched makes its use in the documentary valuable, as does his striking statement that life is measured in performance, not just years.