The film opens in the middle of a race - Sam Bird, António Félix Da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein fight for lead position. As the excitement builds at 280km/h, the world watches with anticipation, the tension and power of the vehicles clear for all to see. The crowd roars as Da Costa makes his move, but then he connects with Wehrlein’s car, flips upside down and flies across the track in a crash, hitting the concrete in a blur of impact and white noise pounding through the screen.
In this moment of dramatic collision, the film cleverly juxtaposes live news reports of climate change and its impact with the chaos of the cars crashing - further landing the idea that there's no turning back for the drivers or the planet. The UK’s Formula E commentator Jack Nicholls provides commentary throughout the film channeling the adrenaline and drama of a real race.
Just when you think the drivers can’t carry on after an accident of this magnitude, we see Da Costa crawl from beneath the wreckage of his car, to climb the track fence and move this race to the streets. The other drivers join as they don’t want to accept defeat, they keep going on their relentless will to win, letting nothing stand in their way.
We follow our protagonists through cities hosting Season 8 E-Prix including New York City, Seoul, Monaco and London. Throughout this feature-like film, we move back and forth between the city streets and race track, in a high voltage raucous ride to the finish line.
Our drivers that escape the crash, arrive at a neon-lit alleyway, they trample through the darkness jostling with each other to try and regain ground. Da Costa spots a short cut, he bursts through a door where he’s confronted by a rearing police horse, the officer loses his grip momentarily and falls backwards onto the ground - Da Costa uses this opportunity to mount the horse to charge off through the smoke and lights of New York City, leaving behind Bird of Jaguar TCS Racing to gain the lead.
We now move inside and see our remaining racers causing havoc through the kitchen of a Korean restaurant, jumping over the counter, plates smash and diners are startled as the drivers speed through the dining room. They exit the restaurant dramatically smashing through an ornamental dragon-etched glass partition door.
As our drivers scale the stairs to the rooftops in a James Bond-like manner, we arrive in Monaco interrupting an alluring and extravagant affair - Wehrlein bustles through the decadently dressed party goers, knocking champagne flutes across the dance floor en route. Emerging onto a regal staircase in a grand hall, a scuffle breaks out as security try to stop the Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team driver in his tracks.
Meanwhile, Da Costa continues his race through a London theatre, where a performance of Julius Caesar is taking place. He finds his way backstage, where the film eerily pauses in a moment of stillness, the DS Techeetah driver is confronted by a chorus of intimidating characters. As he slowly walks past them, we hear biblical music and a quote in the distance from Marc Anthony, a Roman general under Julius Caesar, from the performance on stage.
Finally Da Costa makes it back to the asphalt of the race track to be confronted by the rest of the Formula E cars tearing towards him - there’s no turning back now - he turns and sprints to the finish line - who will win? A race for the chequered flag, neck and neck.
