I kept hearing this referred to as "dad cinema" and I guess that's accurate. I've never been a car or racing person so some of the nuances were lost on me, but this is a pretty solid underdog story and that's universal.Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) is trying to stay close to the industry he loves by designing and selling sports cars but is feeling pushed out by age and his own health. Ken Miles (Christian Bale) is a driver striving for perfection. Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) is a junior executive for Ford Motor Company with a radical idea for how to modernize the staid, practical image of its cars. All three men are fighting against a system that does not want them to succeed, that praises with one hand and sabotages with another. Of course, this being the 60s, all of that is sublimated under the quest to dethrone the reigning car champion, Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone), at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
James Mangold has really mastered the art of men feeling lost but nonetheless dying nobly. Everyone in this movie acts like it is their last night on Earth and that no decision is as important as the one they are making this very second. It would be exhausting if it weren't also filled with snappy dialogue, fast edits, and Christian Bale being a complete lunatic behind the wheel. Overall, absolutely the kind of Sunday-afternoon movie you put on to watch with your dad.
No comments:
Post a Comment