Review of 'Senna'

I am a big fan of Formula 1 car racing. Have been for many years. I remember the tragic events at Imola in 1994.

This movie tells the story of one of the best (if not THE best) Formula 1 driver that ever lived: Ayrton Senna. The story is told by Senna himself and others that knew him as it traces his beginnings in Go Kart racing up to his troubling time in Formula 1. His rivalry with Alain Prost at Mercedes then his short time at Williams. It is the fact that it is Senna himself talking for much of the film that makes it the most powerful. The story is told quite objectively yet very sensitively. I learned so much about the man and came away in great awe of his accomplishments - More than I ever realised (of course, being a lot younger I suppose I just forgot over time). The footage of his private life is amazing. The film enlightened me the impact of his success on his home of Brazil (itself in troubling circumstances when Senna was racing) - Something, at the time, I never put into context.

I suppose this is a movie for racing fans but others might find it interesting to learn the story of this singularly driven man who would stop at nothing to do what he loved…race and win.

Rating: “I have absolutely no complaints”

Review Date: 2011-11-02

Directed by: Asif Kapadia

Studio: Universal Pictures

Year: 2010

Length: 106 minutes

Genre: Documentary

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424432/