Review of Faster

Introduction

Documentary about the world`s fastest men on two wheels and the passion that drives them, narrated by fellow bike-enthusiast Ewan McGregor. Featuring coverage from the 2001 - 2004 Moto GP, the planet`s premier super-bike championship, as well as interviews with the world`s top riders and various biking pundits and dedicated fans.

Video

A reasonable anamorphic transfer, the quality depending on the variety of stock used in the various segments. The dominance of DV and Beta taped footage gives it a semi-amateur feel.

Audio

As expected, a clear audio track for the vox-pops, as well as plenty of cacophonous engine noise… if you`re in to that sort of thing.

Features

An easy to use multi-angle featurette for some of the race footage will probably be of interest only to the geek-quotient. More substantial are a very nice clutch of scenes deleted from the main feature, which explore some of the riders and on-track dramas with an engaging level of detail and intimacy.

Conclusion

Diverting, but somewhat uneasy mix of "inside the mind of a racer" style hack-psychological pondering and straight-forward track-junkie racing footage. The latter is predictably dull for non-converts, but the off-track anecdotes, reminiscences and interviews convey in surprising depth the racing mentality. Varying from mild-mannered introverts to racing rock stars, these are guys with personalities, not just skill - sweet yokel John Hopkins, flamboyant showman Valentino Rossi, tortured genius Max Biaggi. The pundits too, have been thoughtfully selected: There is enthusiasm and a welcome intelligence from writer Michael Stone, who offers erudite insider insight into the personalities of the various racers, without ever succumbing to condescension.

Such nuance however, eventually gives way to the lumpy, thrust-lust, red-misted haze of your average tossed-together special interest motor-sports package. The production values never rise above the average, the second half of disc one drags somewhat, and then ends rather abruptly, emphasising the somewhat amateur scrappiness about the entire production. Indeed, with the addition of a sketchy follow-up on disc two (that covers the following season) the film becomes even more shapeless and ill-defined. McGregor`s vaguely jaded narration may draw some viewers who would otherwise steer clear, but it`s unlikely that `Faster`, perfectly respectable as it is, will draw any new fans from the indifferent.