Home Movies Reviews ‘Untold: The Race of the Century’ Netflix Review - Fast and Furious

‘Untold: The Race of the Century’ Netflix Review - Fast and Furious

The docu-film tells the tale of the scrappy group of Australians who band together to dethrone the New York Yacht Club and break the longest-running win streak

Vikas Yadav - Tue, 06 Sep 2022 15:12:16 +0100 5168 Views
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This week's Untold story is infinitely better than last Tuesday's Operation Flagrant Foul. The documentary titled Untold: The Race of the Century traces a group of Australians' path to victory at the 1983 America's Cup. They not only won but defeated the unbeatable New York Yacht Club and broke a long winning streak of 132 years. The events are mostly recounted through John Bertrand, the man who skippered Australia II, while his teammates chip in now and then to share their experience. Even Dennis Conner, the Australia team's rival, gets to share his thoughts on the historic moment.


The rules of participating in America's Cup are simple: Any country can take part in the game, but their boats must be built in their own country. Outside help is prohibited. For years, it seemed that no matter what you did, you could not beat the New York Yacht Club. The trophy, which someone refers to as the Holy Grail, had been seated in America for centuries. That is until John Bertrand formed a team having the "right mental capacity" and charged ahead full speed on the water, leaving behind every competitor. John mentions that you need to be screwed up to be a champion. He believes ego resides in every winner and that ego pushes the person forward. More than his talent, John's ego - his mad drive to win the cup at any cost - stoked his desire to emerge triumphant.


Directors Chapman and Maclain Way have made a nifty underdog story. There are no unnecessary snazzy tricks here to distract your attention, like those colorful texts and numbers and the slow-motion walks in Operation Flagrant Foul. The directors understand when to cut to black and where to put rousing music to elevate the drama. When the screen goes black as soon as John says, "Then all of a sudden, it was like an explosion," you feel as if you are in the middle of a bomb blast. When the score swells during Australia's win, you are filled with euphoria. The tears of happiness on screen become palpable. Untold: The Race of the Century absorbs you in its narrative and lets you be a part of a significant event.


We are not only made to side with the "good guys," but we also sympathize with the "bad guy" - Dennis. Untold: The Race of the Century sees Dennis as an opponent who just wants to win a game and nothing else. He is unapologetic about the fact that the rules were bent to give them an advantage (their boat was reconfigured in the middle of the competition). "No excuse to lose," Dennis states resolutely as if affirming that everything is fair in love and war. Untold: The Race of the Century offers a glimpse of his depressive state (after losing the match, he became a carpet salesman) and gives him his comeback moment. Chapman and Maclain Way film their subjects with such attentiveness that their words, their expressions reach us with fervor. Within 1 hour and 23 minutes, the documentary races us through myriad emotions. That's not an easy task to accomplish when the audience is aware of the destination.


Final Score – [8.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter

 

 

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