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You would expect fireworks from a racing film based on true events that has Daniel Brühl in the cast, right? Sure, every single film is different, but expecting good things from Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia is understandable enough, with a very compelling story of David triumphing over Goliath and, of course, Brühl’s association with it. Given the actor’s most popular role till date is playing the legendary Austrian F1 driver Niki Lauda in Ron Howard’s Rush, easily one of the greatest racing films ever made.

Sadly though, Brühl is pretty much wasted in Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia, where he bats for the Goliaths by playing Ronald Gumpert, the engineer and manager of the Audi racing team who revolutionized sports car-making by inventing four-wheel-drive vehicles. As big as Gumpert was in real life, his role in this film is pretty much that of a minor supporting character.

Hot off the heels of the holiday season, Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia quietly arrives in theaters and on VOD. While nerve-racking races and gut-wrenching wrecks are a mainstay in racing films, Race for Glory embraces the human element that keeps audiences coming back to this genre time and time again. Separating it from the pack is that it's based on the true story of the contentious and well-documented rivalry between carmakers Audi and Lancia at the 1983 Rally World Championship.

You have to give the makers of “Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia” credit for their honesty in describing their “inspired by true events” drama. Not only do they offer twice in the closing credits the standard disclaimers about invoking dramatic license and inventing some characters out of whole cloth. To make sure we fully understand how fast and loose they have played with reality, they cap things off thusly: “This film cannot be considered a faithful description of facts.”

Trouble is, the film isn’t a grippingly exciting or even consistently compelling description, either. Mostly, it’s a competent yet uninspired overview of events before and during the globetrotting series of races that comprised the 1983 World Rally Championship, with the primary focus remaining affixed throughout on Cesare Fiorio, the ferociously competitive manager for Italy’s Team Lancia.

That narrative imbalance is not altogether surprising, considering that Firori is played by Riccardo Scamarcio,...

Daniel Brühl stars in Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia, a historical racing drama based on the 1983 World Rally Championship. Brühl reflects on his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but states he won't be revisiting that territory anytime soon. He mentions his current project, a series called The Franchise, and hints that he would be open to returning as Baron Zemo if the right opportunity arises.

Daniel Brühl talks about playing Roland Gumpert in Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia and what is coming up for him next in Screen Rant's interview. While his fame grew through his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Brühl is not revisiting that familiar territory anytime soon. 2024 will see a new adventure for Brühl as his next film is Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia, directed by Stefano Mordini.

Based on the 1983 World Rally Championship, Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia follows Cesare Fiorio and Roland Gumpert,...