Passionate people compete against business people to achieve the same end result.

Rating: 8/10 (16 November 2019)

Le Mans '66 is a new sports biography directed by James Mangold, director of Logan and Walk the Line.
In the film, the American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) is asked by car company Ford if he wants to make a racing car for the company, so that they can participate in car racing so that they can also sponsor their company in this car world. Ford also hopes to be able to compete more with the Ferrari car company. They try to do this during the 24-hour Le Mans race. To have a good chance against Ferrari, they also have to find a suitable driver. Carroll proposes to ask British driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to race for Ford. Ken Miles has a passion for cars and racing, but is also somewhat rebellious. For example, he does not seem the right driver to promote Ford in a positive way with their brand and new racing cars. Shelby and his race crew see that Ken is the only one who has a real chance to successfully drive the Ford race car and a real chance to win the race. Shelby and his crew now have to decide to stay true to Ford's rules with another driver, or to keep the race with Ken Miles as a driver, so they have a chance to win the 24-hour Le Mans race.
For a true story, James Mangold knows how to tell the film in an interesting way. You also don't need to have any knowledge about car racing or the true events of Le Mans '66 to be able to follow and understand the story. You will receive the necessary information in the film. If you are familiar with all or a few of these things, there is more to enjoy in the film, because there are enough jokes and comical references in the film for the connoisseurs. The race scenes are also filmed as if you were in the car as a driver or passenger as a viewer. Thanks to the sound effects of the racing cars, it also feels as if you are actually watching a race or you are actually participating in the scenes in the car.
The film is not really about the battle between car companies Ford and Ferrari. This is part of the film, but the film is more about the fight that the car designer and racer have against the company's board members, which they must keep satisfied. This film shows so beautifully how people sometimes have to choose to continue to follow their passion and own thinking. Or that they neatly follow the rules of the company and the manager, even if they have to put aside their passion and their own ideas. Apart from the race, they also know how to create excitement in the film with the different choices that the characters face. As a viewer you usually do not know which choice is the best and which is ultimately taken by the characters. The film also shows how heavy people are who are slightly different from society due to poor health or a developmental disorder such as PTSD. Despite In the face of these handicaps, they still have to follow certain rules of society, which is not always easy for them.
The acting is also good and credible in the film. Christian Bale steals the film as Ken Miles a car and racing enthusiast, who looks with critical eyes at how others treat their cars or drive their racing. He knows how to share his critical opinion in comical ways with the other characters in the film. For this role he deserves to be nominated for various film prizes such as an Oscar. Matt Damon also does good acting as a car designer and later as the boss of a racing crew, trying to keep both the rebellious driver and the strict Ford board members happy. For this, he must choose one of the two, which often leads to conflicts. Although the two sometimes go against each other, they still have good chemistry thanks to their shared passion for cars and racing. The rest of the cast such as Josh Lucas, John Bernthal and Ray McKinnon also provide appropriate acting as members of the race crew or corporate management.