User reviews

This is the first time I write a review for any movie, showing how much I did appreciate this documentary. It is excellent in portraying the era of Formula 1 in the 60s, 70s and early 80s, not from a technical, but rather from a human perspective.

It gives great insight into lives of former champions, some dead, some still alive, while at the same time narrating advances in both thinking and technology which enabled Formula 1 to become much safer nowadays.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the original footage, as well as the excellent soundtrack and editing which boost the atmosphere of the whole movie. Excellent job and a must see for any Formula 1 fan.

Some nitwit previously called this unwatchable. What a maroon. I thought it was very well done, better than "The Killer Years" and just about right up there with "Senna." I guess you have to be a fan and have the balls to man up and shed a tear or two for your heroes in the sport.

Nicely put together, very pertinent interviews with the players, and it even almost made me not want to poop on Ecclestone the way I normally want to.

Some footage I've never seen, a bunch of talk I never heard before from various stars and important folks in F1, and just plain a worthy use of leisure time.

Two racing fuel stained thumbs up, fo sho.

This was an excellent documentary. I have recommended it to people with the advice, "you know a documentary is good if you will find it interesting even if you aren't interested in the subject matter". I think almost anyone would find this documentary very interesting.

I was a child of the 70s and remember seeing F1 races on TV, and remember the big names of the era from my childhood watching. This brought all of that back and filled in a lot of the details about the decades from 1970-2000 that I have learned as an adult.

The timing of the film was very well executed, not spending too long in any period but also including important events.

The voice-over was well-paced and measured, and had just the right intonation to induce suspense at the right times.

The effects in the soundtrack captured racing mechanics at its best. The music soundtrack captured the progression of time well.

My only criticism (and why I give it 8 and not 9 or 10 stars) is that they put just a bit too much focus on the safety of the sport... at times it feels like it is a documentary about racing car safety and not ... racing. Still, it doesn't err too far in this direction, so I still feel it is worthy of an 8 for any racing fan.

Just to clarify that I would have rated this excellent documentary at 8.0 but marked up to 10. 1 out of 10? Really? As an avid fan of f1 during the golden area I found this an epic watch. Brundles amazing escape in the Jordan at the start had nothing to do with fortune and everything to do with the evolution of the sport over many years. Rewind to the birth and beginning of F1 and get ready to be shocked, awed and inspired as we progress through generations gone by. Reliving the harrowing moments where legends are lost sends shivers down your spine and makes you appreciate the levels of in car safety reached in the modern era. If, like me, you dig the engineering as well as the racing you will enjoy this doc.

1: Life on the Limit is brilliantly narrated by Michael Fassbender, who is able to keep hold of a compelling story.

The archive footage is outstanding, the political upbringing of the sport's safety, to the dangerous cars and tracks and the legends who changed the game is brilliant!

People who are unfamiliar with Formula 1 will still be able to find enjoyment, and possibly inspiration from the film. Without a doubt, the most interesting parts are the safety and the relationship between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

It is familiar in places, due to strong performances - the film indulges you into the world of Formula 1 racing and it's deadly legacy.

The film's moral question still holds to this date. 'Would you take the safest car, or the car that is dangerous but drives the fastest?'.

1: Life on the Limit is well directed, brilliantly narrated with a certain charisma that is truly outstanding. The archival footage is breathtaking, and the interviews of legendary racers are inspirational.

It follows in the lines of Rush' and Senna' which are both exuberant films. 1: Life on the Limit has a definite place in Formula 1 entertainment.

Often many an unenlightened fan dismisses the notion of a documentary as being boring, especially one to do with racing. "Au contra-ire" my skeptical friend, I heartily recommend this to you, for it has all the ingredients of a regular movie - excitement, passion, true events, story of individuals willing to go past the edge, push the envelope and draw us into their piercing journey. One gets to learn about many of the sports legends, their views and how major events have shaped it. We get brief lessons into the history of F1 and for any fan - as well as newbie to the sport - this is mandatory knowledge and helps us appreciate to a high degree the ultimate of man & machine together and what they face.

For a film of this genre. Sport documentary? It is truly brilliant. I am not an F1 fan, but I am a petrolhead, I prefer rally and motorcycle racing, even touring cars, because the action is always closer and consequently more interesting, but I appreciate than Formula 1 i the pinnacle of motorsport. This film/documentary has everything: a history of the sport, an insight into the constructors, the drivers and the men behind the organisation too. It is a fascinating watch. I could go on and on. Maybe I will add to this later, but for now: it made me gape, it made me laugh and it made me cry. What more could I ask for?

Coming in the wake of Senna and Rush, F1 has been spoiled in recent years. Despite production starting before either of the former films, 1: Life on the Limit is the last to be released, and suffers a little because of it.

I had the privilege of seeing this film screened at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix weekend, and what an arena to see it in, surrounded by Formula One Fans of all ages!

The film tells the history of Formula One, from its beginnings right up to the 2012 season, (Sebastian Vettel is credited as "3 time world champion"). Bookended by Martin Brundle's horror crash at the Australian Grand Prix in 1996 where he ran back to the pits and simply got in the spare car to take the restart, the documentary struggles to find the story it is trying to tell. Is it the evolution of safety, or a straight documentary about the history of Formula One?

As a story about the strides made in safety, the story seems to finish with Brundle's crash highlighting that it was just 2 years after the death of Ayrton Senna, but then goes on for a while after that, leading more towards it being aimed as a story about the history of F1.

As a history of F1, it doesn't offer much more than a long-time follower of F1 wouldn't know, but does offer little morsels that may be unfamiliar to some people, such as how Bernie Ecclestone became one of the most influential people in world sports, or Jacky Ickx, the driver who rebelled against the drivers union when they attempted to strike over safety concerns.

But with 64 years of history to cover, the documentary does not really have the time to go into much depth over the stories and personalities involved, and comes across as a little shallow as a result.

Having said that, I would recommend this film to anyone with a passing interest in F1 as a springboard to other stories within F1 and adding context to the names of legends that are still revered by F1 drivers and fans alike, especially after seeing Rush, but possibly before seeing Senna as the Senna section of this film does leave you feeling a little short-changed.

Just a few words about "Life on the limit". I am watching this again on television as I write this.

The information in the film is mainly very good as long as you are not too pedantic about some of the additions that are not from the correct years, as stated in other reviews here. They are done to give effect, however misguided or done in error.

My problem with this film is the commentary. Who and why did someone think that Michael Fassbender was the right person to provide the commentary ? He has the most boring, monotone, uninteresting drone that I can say that I have ever heard narrating any documentary or film. This film required a clear, "animated" narration, not the disappointing dirge that it has.

Rob.

This is the story of how the sport of F1 almost killed itself.

Lacking true professional organization, blind to the dilemma of the peril of increasing speeds and unable to recognize the importance of safety, the FIA presided over the most dangerous sport in the world. The governing body, track owners or the event promoters weren't going to assume any liability or proper duty if care, so many drivers had to pay the ultimate price over the course of three decades before their voices were heard.

At the risk of ostracizing their fanbase and increasing the suffering and grief of the participants and their loved ones, Formula 1 finally recognized their role in prioritizing rules and regulations to increase safey.

Paul Crowder does a great job of setting the scene for the resumption of grand prix auto racing in the shadows of the second world war. With technology borrowed from fighter planes construction and competing from one nation to another, the drivers adopted the necessary character and nerves of steel to survive and possibly win.

Through this documentary we understand the evolution of F1, its safety rules, the influence of business and sponsorship, and of course we learn about some of the legendary battles that made this sport loved all over the world.

However, having watched it and enjoyed it, in the end I got the feeling that the producers must have realized that they would end up with a very long documentary (truly rich F1 history!) and to prevent that they started to speed up the story right in the years I wanted to see the most - the Ayrton Senna ones...

In spite of that, it does present F1 in a clever new perspective that not many documentaries have shown us already and because of this those who like F1 or car racing in general will surely enjoy watching it.

Where are Ballestre? Prost? Pironi ? All those guys deeply involved in security but also in the transformation of this sport. Just because they are French ? Too bad, it seems pretty similar to Senna the documentary that completely forgot Prost and the very strong relationship developed after Prost retired and that explains why Prost was so proéminent in all charity organization managed by Vivian Senna. Almost a revision of history (the small one we love).

I have only one gripe (see later) about this great documentary. The cinematography is fantastic, as especially is the soundtrack. The movie moves in a linear fashion from old to new, but there are some meaningful cuts to the past which helps with the overall perspective. Editing is perfect and the movie just flows into your senses.

The great drivers reveal their personalities themselves, much like the current and entertaining series "Drive to Survive."

Despite all the praise it deserves, I felt one flaw - the consistent emphasis on crashes and safety. I'd love to have seen more brilliant driving scenes - passes, the scramble at the start of a race, wheel-to-wheel shots. Perhaps this illustrates that the full depth of F1 is far greater than one movie can depict, and why I'm such a fan.

Playing on double entendre of "1" death since certain safety protocols and the fact that it's about Formula 1...along with the belief that it is the #1 Motorsport all culminate in a history telling of Grand Prix racing. Breathtaking footage, insightful interviews, and wall-to-wall fitting músic turn the casual fan enamored and a rabid one absolutely euphoric.

I know a little about Formula 1, but I like racing (MotoGP in particular). This film is well produced, considering they're working largely with archive footage from old television broadcasts. The interspersed interviews with prominent figures are fairly interesting, but it never drew me in.

This strikes me as a decent documentary for people who are already fans of Formula 1, but if you're just a fan of racing in general, then it's just really not very interesting. For example, Senna's death is covered in perhaps two minutes, and you feel no real connection with it at all. Senna was probably the most beloved racer in F-1 history, yet it's just sort of casually mentioned how much impact his death had on fans.

Having previously seen Grand Prix: The Killer Years; there was little that was new here. We had more on the Lauda and Hunt rivalry in 1976 when the championship came to the wire. We find out how Ecclestone managed to wrest control of F1 by purchasing the worldwide television rights. I doubt safety in road racing would even today be a priority if it was not for Max Mosley who placed a heavy emphasis on safety issues.

The documentary narrated by Michael Fassbender starts with a spectacular crash involving Martin Brundle in the 1996 Australian Grand Prix. He hardly received a scratch and ran towards the race doctor to get the OK to resume the race in the team's spare car.

It would be a more enthralling film if you maybe have not seen similar documentaries but it does have crash bang wallops which excites the audience, the trouble is that in the early days those crashes were lethal.