This is not about cars... well, sorta

Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2019)

This movie is not about cars. (For me at least) Of course those are beautiful, the racing scenes, the sounds, the lack of cgi... but still. It's definitely not about Henry Ford vs. Enzo Ferrari. In this movie's case the Hungarian title is better imo: "Kings of the Asphalt"
This movie is about the tenacity and the single minded fanaticism that is needed to achieve greatness. This movie is about the painfulness of being different. This movie is about how hard it is to be extraordinary.
And boy, does it deliver. We already know that when Mr. Bale does something - it is done absolutely and without question to perfection. You can feel every thought, every decision, every second of the character through the screen here as well. Matt Damon is also exceptional in my opinion. Their chemistry, their dynamic, their friendship can be felt every scene - and it makes the film great.
Don't get me wrong - there's racing! And lots of it. It's just more than any racing movie ever been...
The director of the film - James Mangold - did an exceptional job. There was a lot of - literally - moving pieces and he made those move together in perfect harmony.
It's good if you know of - or heard of - Shelby, but that's it. You don't have to know everything there is to know about car racing history. They tell you. And maybe it's even better if you don't. You can feel the weight of taking every corner without knowing if that's the last - and you can only have that experience once, until you don't know the story, the ending.
Of course, if you've ever driven above the speed limit, and with a 200+ horse power car as well helps - but it's not necessary to enjoy the film.
Fun fact: the last part of the movie is the illustration in the dictionary when you look up "life's not fair" or "no good deed goes unpunished".
Memorable quotes: "Am I on fire?!"
"There's a point above 7000 RPM..."
9/10