LE MANS 66 (FORD VERSUS FERRARI)
Theatrical release: November 13, 2019
Duration: 2h33
Director: James Mangold
Main actors: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Caitriona Balfe
Synopsis: Based on a true story, the film follows a team of eccentric American engineers led by visionary Carroll Shelby and his British driver Ken Miles, who are sent by Henry Ford II to build from scratch a new automobile that will dethrone the Ferrari in the 1966 Le Mans competition.
“Ken Miles pushed the limits of his car more and more, now exceeding 6000 rpm. He knew he could pass the car in front of him without any fear. But would the car resist the behavior of its driver and, above all, would it not explode in flight? it was the crazy idea that Miles absolutely wanted to do for this man passionate about mechanics and racing cars, knowing every nook and cranny of the car he was driving...
– “Come on Cocotte….go ahead my cocotte…I know you can do it….show what you have in your stomach!” » he repeated to his car with whom he spoke as if he and his car were one.
Warning: Some passages may reveal part of the story
You will no doubt have understood that the film that I am going to talk to you about inspired me a lot for this review. It must also be said that when I was little, I watched the Formula 1 grand prix on Sunday afternoons in the living room with my father. It was at the time when Alain Prost was world champion. And that's what kept me sitting in the chair was seeing a Frenchman compete with the big teams, a national pride for me.
A few years later, I discovered the first car racing video games like Vroom on the Atari ST. It was simply crazy, being able to put yourself in the place of a Formula 1 driver, doing everything to overtake the competitors and arrive first, seeing the scenery parade in front of us, and above all, this inimitable engine noise specific to the cars that transcended us just to tell us that we were sitting in a real car ready to face all kinds of challenges…. A real treat for both the eyes and the ears. A shared treat with my father, who I still suspect today of playing this video game in secret. Vroom certainly means a lot to my father who is a retired mechanic today.
A little later on PC, I discovered the Need For Speed games. In another register, we had to outwit the police, change cars and improve them, arrive first on the finish line…. A fantasy that had become reality, at least in the virtual world.
In terms of cinema, I discovered films on the subject of cars late in life. Starting with Michel Vaillant, a film which speaks to us a little more, since part of the film takes place on the Le Mans circuit like….Le Mans 66 (or Ford VS Ferrari in original version). It always results in a dynamic film and I like the
And when we talk about spectacular films, I can't forget to mention the Fast And Furious saga popularized by the late Paul Walker, a little darling of his ladies. Although considered by some to be "stupid" films, I can't help but have this guilty pleasure of waiting each time for the last of the saga to come out in the cinema, even if a Fast And Furious film without Paul Walker, it's no longer really a Fast And Furious. But that's not the topic of the day.
What interests us here is the last film by James Mangold, the same one who directed Logan a few years earlier, which I loved and who restored the golden image of the X-men films.
And as you may have guessed, movies about cars always interest me. So it was with a certain interest that I went to see Le Mans 66. And when I saw who was playing in it through the trailer, I could only be satisfied with the casting. Mat Damon and Christian Bale, two famous actors who no longer need to be introduced since one became known with the Jason Bourne saga and the second who played in several Christopher Nolan films such as the Batman saga or The Prestige which I recommend to you.
This film is so rich and generous that once I left the theaters, I rushed to my smartphone to note down all the details and not forget anything of what I had seen. Because yes there is a lot to tell.
Starting with a very careful production done the old-fashioned way without I having seen the slightest CGI and even if there is some, it's really sparingly. And this is what is visible at first glance, from the environments or even the cars, everything is real and you get what you pay for.
I will make an aside precisely about the prices of cinema tickets. While today these same places cost around 12 euros in mainland France, it is always wise to choose what you want to go see, even if according to a study that I saw a few years ago time only 15% of people would pay full price for their cinema tickets in France. And we cannot pity them as the films that come out are for the most part films that take the spectators by the hand and do not pay homage to their intelligence
And that’s where the strength of this film lies. Resembling more of an art-house film due to its quality, we are drawn into the story of the two characters played here by Christian Bale and Mat Damon.
Both actors are simply perfect in their roles. Bale hiding behind his character to the point that we forget the actor. We already knew the actor for his physical transformations and the way he blends into his roles, but here it is astonishing.
The latter plays this father who is struggling to make ends meet with his garage, which he will end up having seized for lack of money. As for his wife, she still remains worried since he has a hard time hanging up the wheel and would like it to be a more relaxing job for her. And when Carroll Shelby (played by Matt Damon) offers her husband to work for him, she will see it as a financial relief but afraid that he will drive his cars at crazy speeds again. But she will still be proud of him when he starts winning races.
Matt Damon plays a former driver who becomes a manufacturer by creating Shelby American Ltd. Ferrari having rejected Ford's takeover advances, Ford will approach Caroll Shelby so that he can build a car to compete with Ferrari on the asphalt. This is how he will approach Ken Miles to test and optimize the car in order to prepare it for the 24 hours of Le Mans. The role of Caroll Shelby is also an interesting character due to her proximity to Ken Miles and the sometimes tumultuous relationship they will have.
One senses very good writing of the characters with their weaknesses and their strengths, with on the one hand somewhat tumultuous relationships between Miles and Shelby, Shelby doing everything possible to keep her sidekick in the race with the risk of seeing his career fall like a house of cards if he does not comply with the demands of the Ford boss.
The film is also focused, as I said above, on the rivalry between Ferrari, which at the time prided itself on being the unbeatable manufacturer on the circuits, and Ford having difficulty breaking through. The Ford boss is portrayed as a relentless and tough business leader. For its part, Ferrari is represented by its slightly arrogant leaders and we only have one thing in mind: to see them get knocked down to steal their victory. I nevertheless found the Ford leader a little caricatured in his position as boss, but it is also to better color the characters of his two rival manufacturers ready to do battle on the track.
My second impression of the film apart from the characters and this impression of speed during the races. It goes quickly and the camera is dynamic as ever. We enjoy its tight shots or inside the cockpits putting us in first place, that of the driver. I have often vibrated in my chair at the sight of a gear change or the roar of engines, triggering an auditory orgasm in most men who are passionate about mechanics.
The film has humor and it is largely thanks to the two main actors who knew how to play on the difference in the character of their character. We feel a real bond between the two. Basically, it's mainly them who carry the film.
No, I have nothing to criticize about this film which grabbed me from start to finish. I think it would be very nice to see it in a 4DX room, these famous rooms where the seats move depending on the action.
It is therefore to end this review which is already three pages long on Word, that I would say that it is surely one of the most beautiful films that I have seen this year and I recommend that you go see it just after Joker, of which I promised to do a review and forgot.
And don't forget (as EA Games says about the Need For Speed games), speed is on the circuits and not on the roads, the pleasure will only be increased tenfold with this feeling that no one will come to you prosecute for speeding.
