Le Mans '66

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2019)

In America this movie is titled Ford vs. Ferrari, that is essentially the big hook of the film, film critic Mark Kermode said in his review that this is very similar to Rush, in that the characters come first, and the cars come second (or some people say the other way around). From the trailer I saw I was definitely going to watch it at the cinema, directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line, Knight and Day, Logan). Basically, in1963, Ford Motor Company Vice President Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) proposes to Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) to purchase the cash-strapped Ferrari in order to boost their car sales by participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) walks away from the deal, after Fiat offer a more lucrative deal that allows him to retain his ownership of Scuderia Ferrari. Henry II is furious and orders his racing division to build a car to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans. For this task, Iacocca hires Shelby American owner and retired racing driver Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), he won Le Mans in 1959, he was forced to stop due to his heart condition. In turn, Shelby enlists the help of Ken Miles (Golden Globe nominated Christian Bale), a hot-tempered British racer and struggling mechanic. Shelby and Miles test the Ford GT40 Mk I prototype at Los Angeles International Airport, finding all its design flaws and making the necessary improvements until it is ready to race. Ford do not see Miles as their ideal driver, due to his abrasive attitude, they opt to send Phil Hill (James Tyler Paulson) and Bruce McLaren (Benjamin Rigby) to the 1964 Le Mans instead. As predicted by Miles, none of the Ford vehicles finish the race. While Henry II sees this as a humiliating defeat, Shelby explains that the GT40 reached higher speeds than Ferrari, instilling fear in them on the Mulsanne straight, before it broke down. Shelby and Miles continue development on the GT40 Mk II, but Miles is nearly killed when the car's brakes fail during testing. In 1966, Ford Senior Vice President Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas) takes over the racing division and intends again to continue the program without Miles. But Shelby gives Henry II a ride in the car and wages his own company on the line to convince him that if Miles wins the 24 Hours of Daytona, he will be allowed to race at Le Mans. Shelby American enters Daytona, but Beebe has a second Ford entered with NASCAR team Holman-Moody supporting it. While the Holman-Moody team has quicker pit stops, Shelby has Miles push his car to the limit, resulting in him winning the race. At the 1966 Le Mans, Miles struggles with a faulty door during the first lap, team engineer Phil Remington (Ray McKinnon) fixes the door, bashing it with a mallet. Miles catches up with the Ferraris and begins to set lap records. His wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and son Peter (A Quiet Place's Noah Jupe) watch and listen to the action as it unfolds.
Miles. While racing with Ferrari driver Lorenzo Bandini (Francesco Bauco), Miles experiences another brake failure, but the system is replaced during his pit stop. Enzo Ferrari protests the move, but Shelby convinces the race officials that the brake change is legal. Miles and Bandini once again duel on the Mulsanne Straight, but Bandini's engine blows, and Ferrari are completely eliminated from the race. With three Ford teams in the top-three positions, Beebe orders Shelby to have Miles slow down for the other two Fords to catch up with him and provide the press with a three-car photo finish. Miles is initially against this decision, continuing to set new lap records near the end of the race, but decides to let Ford have their way on the final lap. Ultimately, McLaren is declared the winner on a technicality, but Miles is grateful to Shelby for giving him the opportunity to race at Le Mans. Ultimately, McLaren is declared the winner on a technicality, as one of their cars crossed the finish line just ahead. Although devastated by this decision, Miles is grateful to Shelby for giving him the opportunity to race at Le Mans. Two months after Le Mans, Miles is testing the J-car at Riverside International Raceway, Miles experiences another brake failure and is killed in the resulting crash. Six months later, Shelby pays Miles' family a visit, Mollie watches as he gives Peter a wrench that Miles threw at him before winning an SCCA race at Willow Springs in 1963. Ford would continue its winning streak at Le Mans in 1967, 1968, and 1969, becoming the only American manufacturer to win the prestigious race. Miles was posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2001. Also starring JJ Field as Roy Lunn, Jack McMullen as Charlie Agapiou, Benjamin Rigby as Bruce McLaren, Alex Gurney as Dan Gurney (playing his own father) and Ben Collins (formerly The Stig in Top Gear) as Denny Hulme. Damon as the man putting everything into making the winning vehicle and Bale as the loose cannon British racer unafraid to say whatever he thinks are both perfectly cast. It is most interesting true story, corporate company Ford wanting to regain their mojo by winning the 24-hour race, conflicting with the maverick petrolheads, fantastic chalk-and-cheese characters. You grow to like the characters in the slower moments, then you go to breakneck speed in the twists and turns of the racetracks, the race sequences are indeed fast paced with nail-biting crashes, all fantastically edited and with terrific sound design, overall it is an exciting and most enjoyable sports drama. It won the Oscars for Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Editing, and it was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, and Best Sound Mixing, and it won the BAFTA for Best Editing, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography, and Best Sound. Very good!