LE MANS '66 REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Prior to watching Le Mans '66 (which is also known as Ford V Ferrari in the United States), my expectations were quite high as, following its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in August, the critical reception was mostly positive. Critics praised the performances from Matt Damon and Christian Bale and the racing sequences that feature in the film. Because of this, it quickly became one of my most anticipated films.

Le Mans '66 is based on the remarkable true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British-born driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

Earlier this year, I watched Ron Howard's 2013 drama, Rush, which focused on the rivalry between Formula One drivers, James Hunt and Niki Lauder. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did as, because it focuses on Formula One, I thought I would find it boring. Fortunately, that wasn't the case and, because of its rivalry between the two main characters and thrilling racing sequences, Rush beat my expectations. The same can be said for Le Mans '66, which shares similarities to Rush, including themes of rivalry, strong performances and the exhilarating racing sequences. 

The story for Le Mans '66 focuses on the Ford Motor Company hiring Shelby and Miles to build a car that could beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours race in Le Mans. Because I'm in my early twenties, I wasn't aware of this event and found Le Mans '66 to be a mostly unpredictable watch. Those who are more familiar with the race will probably be able to guess how the film ends, however, that doesn't prevent them from enjoying it.

The standout aspect of Le Mans '66 are the performances by Damon and Bale. Like most of his roles, Damon brings a charm and likability to his portrayal of Shelby and he becomes increasingly determined to build a car that will finally beat Ferrari. Earlier this year, Bale impressed with his portrayal of Vice President, Dick Cheney, in Adam McKay's drama, Vice. Because of his weight gain, the actor looked almost unrecognisable. In Le Mans '66, Bale has shed the weight, simply by 'not eating' as he told Damon, and, as Miles, delivers another strong performance. It's hard not to respect Bale's dedication to roles by gaining and losing a lot of weight. Because Le Mans '66 is being released during Oscar season, when Hollywood studios begin releasing films that have potential to be nominated at the Academy Awards, there's a lot of talk surrounding the two lead performances and whether they'll be nominated. While both actors both deliver strong performances and thoroughly deserve to be nominated, I think that it's too early to say. Solid supporting roles come from Tracy Letts as Henry Ford II, Jon Bernthal as the vice president of Ford, Lee Iacocca and Caitriona Balfe as Mile's wife, Mollie.

If Le Mans '66 is likely to be nominated for anything, my guess is the cinematography by Phedon Papamichael. The film is at its best during the racing sequences as it makes it all the more exciting to watch. Le Mans '66 features a lot of close-ups and shots from the driver's point of view to make you feel like you're in the car racing alongside them. I can imagine a lot of viewers will struggle to resist the urge to drive fast on their way home from watching Le Mans '66. The final race is intense as it focuses on the racers driving over a period of twenty-four hours and facing all sorts of weather conditions, including rain, making the race all the more difficult. Because of its exhilarating race sequences and impressive cinematography, Le Mans '66 is definitely worth watching on the big screen.

While Le Mans '66 has received a mostly positive reception, most of the criticism has gone towards its runtime which 152 minutes. Prior to watching Le Mans '66, I was concered about the runtime and worried that it was going to drag at times. Fortunately, this wasn't the case. While 152 minutes may seem long, there's rarely a dull moment to be found as Le Mans '66 keeps its audiences entertained throughout, with interesting characters, thrilling racing sequences and compelling drama. To me, it hardly seemed like over two hours had passed by the time the film ended.

While I knew that Le Mans '66 wasn't going to be a serious drama, I wasn't expecting it to be as funny as it was. There are a lot of amusing scenes, including a fight between Shelby and Miles and Ford's emotional reaction to being driven in the Ford GT40 by Shelby. The humour added to the overall enjoyment of Le Mans '66.
The strength of Le Mans '66 lies in its exhilarating race sequences and the performances by Matt Damon and Christian Bale.
8/10