"We're gonna build a race car."

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2020)

You don't have to be a race car enthusiast to enjoy this film. I'm certainly not, having neither the desire or the patience to watch daring motor cars race around a track at mind boggling speeds. Though you do have to credit the drivers who enjoy the profession; it takes a certain amount of bravura and stamina to withstand the pace and stress forces that go with the territory. Without knowing the story in advance, I thought it was going to pit Matt Damon against Christian Bale as opposing drivers, but that idea was quickly put to rest. The legendary Carroll Shelby (Damon) is in the spotlight here as the former racer and design engineer recruited by the Ford Motor Company to build a championship vehicle. In no small measure was it Ford's response to a snub by Italian car maker, Enzo Ferrari, who turned down a merger with the American company in a fit of pique. Had he gone along, the end result in the picture may never have occurred.
The movie will call to mind the Steve McQueen race car epic "Le Mans" from 1971. With a half century separating the two films, both reliably capture the spirit and flavor of the world's longest endurance test. "Le Mans" has more of a documentary type feel than the movie under consideration here, with less of a plot and straightforward story line. Building up to the seminal race in 1966 featured in this film, the story takes an introspective look at the machinations of the Ford Motor Company to control all aspects of engineering a vehicle they hope to defeat the Italians with. Not to mention the politics and marketing aspect of selecting a driver who wouldn't embarrass the company by going public with any developmental problems along the way.
For fans and non-fans alike, the racing scenes are thrilling and adrenaline inducing. As driver Ken Mills, Christian Bale exudes nerves of steel and a soaring passion to be the best driver out there, achieving mind boggling speeds that would otherwise strike fear in the hearts of most mortal men. That was comically illustrated in the one scene in which Shelby himself took Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) for a 'spin' in a car under development. If there's any sense of a let down with the picture, it would have to be the screw job Mills suffered when he agreed to bring in all three of Ford's race cars to the finish line together at Le Mans. Realizing it, Mills bore the slight with dignity, knowing in his heart that he was the best driver out there that day, and nothing could take that away from him.