The Doctor, the Tornado, and the Kentucky Kid (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)

I managed to get hold of a brand new copy of this for only a few pounds so I took a punt and overall I wasn’t disappointed.

So lets get the mild disappointments out of the way first. As you can guess by my review title, to use Valentino Rossi’s nickname in the title of the documentary is slightly misleading to put it midly. Basically apart from a few choice quotes which are on a par with telephone line sound quality from Mr Rossi, which are for the most part dubbed over some (awsome) racing footage, Valentino is hardly featured other than fully justified complimentary comments made by commentator Ewan MacGregor and other riders about the multiple world champion.

Also although this documentary is only a few years old, it does show just how far film making technology and techniques have advanced in such a short period. Compared to more recently produced motor racing films and productions I have seen and purchased, the on board footage and trackside footage resolution are significantly behind today’s HD standards.

Positives are the period feel of the film with the liveries of the bikes and riders leathers already starting to look like they are from a different era (which considering MotoGP moved to 800cc bikes less than two seasons later they probably are). It also tok me back by seeing Troy Bayliss riding in the Camel livery and the complete absence of Casey Stoner and the much loved and missed #58 Simoncelli. Oddly there was no mention of why the Yamaha’s featured their special livery for the USA race alone. I also enjoyed the open and frank views of the riders involved, especially Colin Edwards who’s interview from the extra features on disc one comment about Dorna getting parts of Lagnua Seca changed for safety, and if they tried to say to an Italian to change a corner of Mugello, they would be told to go **** themselves.

The build up of atmosphere and tension throughout the film to the big race was superbly done with revealing insights from the three featured riders (Hayden, Hopkins and Edwards) about their own motivations and preperation for the race. Also despite the visual and audio limitations of the day, this documentary dragged me and had me hooked. I thought the film successfully demonstrated just how the USA took MotoGP to their hearts (although I thought mentioning Brad Pitt as a participant in the film was taking a bit far!) and just what it meant to Nicky Hayden and his family to win it, and how it boosted his confidence to be able to carry this monentum to take the Title the following year on the Honda.

For a fan of MotoGP and motorbike racing I would say overall that this documentary is a very good watch. Get past the technical limitations of sound and vision of the day and prepare to become engrossed in this film. for me it was over far too quickly. ,

Enjoy.

I was nearly put off buying this DVD based on some negative reviews and a relatively low star rating by reviewers. I’m glad i did buy it. The other reviewers comments about the lack of rossi is true to a point in that he doesn’t feature in the initial interviews yet his nickname is the first on the title. You need to be aware of the slightly misleading title-yes, but you also need to know that this is a stylish film that tells the story of the return of GP to the USA at Laguna Seca. The title refers to the podium finishers (not necessarily in that order!) The film gradually closes in on race day using three american riders-hayden, edwards and hopkins. This is fair enough as it was a big moment for them and this comes across in the film. I think the film is stlylish and slightly abstract. For instance what one reviewer calls the “telephone” interviews at the beginning i took to be a stylistic device. Or the way the on board camera on hopkins’ bike is slightly off to one side. For me that enhanced the sense of speed. The use of the various different sounds at a circuit and the relative volumes. The title itself and the way the circuit – the real star- is left out. etc The narration by Ewan Mcgregor is good. For me this is a professionally put together film. Buy it!

Must watch. Do it now.

And, it’s pretty amazing that to this day he’s still on the grid and racing- albeit on a 3rd rate bike. His sincere antics and devotion to the MotoGP sport, as well as to his colleagues, family, and friends are very clear in this film. Oh yah, Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi are in this too… 😉

….it’s late 2015 as I’m posting this, so I’ve bought and watched Faster and Fastest already, (Hitting The Apex is impossible to get right now) so this documentary is well made and interesting, but compared to the more current offerings it’s a bit primitive and doesn’t captivate you like the other DVDs. If you’re a serious Motogp fan and love Nicky Hayden, he definitely gets some time, and he’s a very likeable guy, as is Colin Edwards. Rossi is of course in here, but there’s much more Rossi in the other DVDs, so if you’re more interested in Rossi, spend your money on Faster, Fastest, or Hitting The Apex instead.

Good documentary. RIP, Nicky Hayden.

A great movie for Motogp fans, and Ewan McGregor is great as the narrator!