Not as fast paced as you might think!

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2019)

Got to admit that this film was one of my personal most anticipated films of the year. The story itself which I only knew very few details about sounded really interesting, a David vs Goliath type of story. James Mangold's name was also a major attraction to the film, a seasoned film maker with some really good films. However the biggest draw of all was the cast and in particular Christian Bale...........who I will admit is my favourite actor of all time...............and oh yeah Matt Damon isn't bad too!
I'm gonna be completely honest straight up I strangely didn't like this film as much as I thought I was going to..............maybe my expectations were too high?? However I am in some way surprise with how the film turned out, its a much more character driven film than I thought it was going to be!!! Le Mans only takes up the last 45-30 mins of the film which is not a lot, but I don't think that is a criticism at all.
James Mangold has made as good as looking a film as I thought he would, from start to finish it is beautiful to watch. He manages to really immerse you in the time period almost straight away and makes you buy into the characters right from the get go. The film does show that Mangold really did do his research, the amount of care and attention the detail really shines through in the races. The more impressive part of the film is the good balance between the fast paced racing and the more slow character driven parts of the film, both of which complement each other really nicely. The tension in the race scenes really works because they are built upon really good character development and also development of their relationships, which is best shown between Bale and Damon. You care about them.
Bale and Damon are both fantastic actors in my opinion so it is no surprise that they are really really good in the film.........Oscar worthy I'm not so sure but did it need to be.........No. Their on screen chemistry really shows that the actors must have had fun on set because they seem to have a really good connection during the film, its like watching two friends. Other shoutouts Tracey Letts, Jon Bernthal and Josh Lucas all really strong performances. I think the best part is the pit crew and the close relationship they have with Bale and Damon is a real gem of the film.
The action scenes are brilliantly choreographed and simply put you in the drivers seat, some real nail biting racing that is a pure joy to watch. Considering that I didn't know how the story was going to end it really was..........heart pounding!!
The film for me almost got an 8 out of 10 because the ending has such emotional punch, which is extremely effective. The fact that Miles didn't win the race and the death of Ken Miles so it was a complete surprise to me when they happened................the film handled the death really well and actually the final scene was a really nice close to the film. However the only thing stopping me from giving it an 8 is the re-watchabilty of the film, for some strange reason I don't see myself itching to watch it again straight away.........maybe its because its a long film and it is a slow paced film for the most part.
Overall even though I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, its still a really good film 75% out of 100, its almost at 80% but not quite. Definitely recommend it just for the story of Shelby and Miles even if you don't like racing or cars..........this is a much more character driven film than you'd think!