Fastest

The creative forces behind 2003's motorcycle-racing documentary Faster (VL Online-2/05)—filmmaker Mark Neale and narrator-fan Ewan McGregor—reunite for more breathless scrutiny of the high-performance MotoGP world-championship competition, in which extreme cyclists spin around an international array of tracks at 200 mph, risking crippling injuries or death. Prominent among contemporary competitors is Valentino “the Doctor” Rossi, a second-generation racer from small-town Italy out for an amazing 10th win—on a Yamaha bike instead of the superior Honda (Rossi wants to prove that he, not the machine, is earning the points). Serving up a barrage of race excerpts and sound bites from venues around the world (Britain, Portugal, Malaysia, Japan, Qatar, France, Spain, and others), the drama steadily grows, as Rossi faces competition from Australia's Ducati-riding Casey Stoner (unexpectedly set back by a bout of lactose intolerance) and Jorge Lorenzo of Spain. Contextual background is supplied by Rossi's fan base (including a village priest), and the track doctors who've brought wrecked participants back from clinical death. DVD extras include deleted scenes and extended interviews. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)