From the trailer, this looked like a Trumpian nostalgia piece for the days when straight white men in flyover states were making America great — without any nuance or complexity. I’ll pass.
19
don't forget RUSH.
15
Ken Miles was not a Cockney (which means from the east end of london), and from the trailer, Bale doesn't play him as one. Miles was born in Birmingham and Bale plays him with a mild west-midlands accent.
23
“...and Ken, a spidery, easily flapped Cockney...”
Ken Miles was from Birmingham, and spoke with a “Brummie” dialect - not a Cockney accent, native to East Enders in London.
17
The special works at ford did manage to build a good car, too bad that unlike the cars sold to the public by Ferrari, the production versions were garbage. I’ve rebuilt numerous 60s vintage a Mustangs (usually for a family member) and no matter what modifications I applied to make the more road worthy, they are still horribly handling cars.
15
Baby boomers for the most part could not buy cars in 66 they were still in school. Somebody needs to study history
His family business is threatened by the doughtiness of its products, which restless young baby boomers don’t want to buy
7
No one has mentioned a 1966 French movie A Man & A Woman - Un Homme et Une Femme - it's a love story - the man is a race car driver. In a 1966 movie he drives a Mustang convertible. He races in a Ford - only logo - probably the Shelby. There are LeMans scenes.
And racing is just background - nothing is made of what happened at LeMans. Love is what's important.
What a contrast. Also inexpensive production - and what a contrast with today. When we saw it in New York the audience rose and applauded at the end.
Bill
22
A 2-1/2-hour movie is "nimble"? At least 30 minutes could have been cut to make it even nimbler (and less repetitious).
13
This is a terrific movie and I would see it again. I was able to see the movie through the generosity of the Peterson Auto Museum in Los Angeles; had the museum not arranged the viewing, the movie is not one I would have chosen to see. I owe multiple thanks to the Peterson.
The acting is magnificent, the story is exceptional and the racing is magical. Damon and Bale are absolute 'naturals' in the individuals they portray. What kept me mesmerized was watching the actual effort put into driving in the Le Mans and learning the history of automobile racing. I now know that the Daytona is based on time while a Le Mans win depends upon the distance covered in the 24hr period and that 3drivers are involved in that race. I was also educated in the extent of Carroll Shelby's involvement in automotive development. You do not want to know how I viewed the executives of the Ford company behaving.
This is a 'must see' movie. The two hours and 32 minutes seemed to occur in seconds rather than the posted time. This is an incredible historical movie. If you are a neophyte like me, see this movie.
58
It's not about "Grand Prix" racing at all. That would be a totally different movie starring a modern day version of James Garner.
6
Great review, and a good movie to boot. Was a bit flummoxed by the fact they aimed for period correct authenticity in some places, but made some glaring vehicular errors that were downright anachronistic or wrong.
1) Opening scene, Shelby is driving his Aston Martin DBR1 at LeMans...and shifts in the middle of a corner. You never shift mid-corner.
2) Shelby drives a red Porsche 356 Speedster. (A) he would never drive a Porsche. (B) even if he did, it wouldn't have that goofy tonneau cover and headrest bump. (C) He wouldn't start it with his right hand since the ignition would be on the left.
3) In Ken Mile's garage there is an Austin Mini in the background. It has no external door hinges, which would indicate it was built in the late 1960s...while the story takes place in the early 1960s.
4) In Shelby's shop several Daytona Coupes are shown and they all have massive, 18" or 19" wheels with thin-sidewall tires. Such wheels and tires didn't exist in the '60s.
5) The GT40's interior is shown with a rubber cover over a cigarette lighter hole. No race car would have a cigarette lighter.
6) Before the race, a transporter is shown with a 1964 Panhard CD LM64 on a trailer. Great to feature it--but it wasn't there in '65
7) In the LeMans race, there is a single Porsche 911 that seems to represent all of the non-prototype cars. No 911s participated in the 1965 running of LeMans--but plenty of Alpine A110s and Triumph Spitfires did!
Those are a few of the nerdy goofs I saw...
89
"Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in James Mangold’s look back at the golden age of Grand Prix racing." This is the teaser in the "Today's Headlines" email for the "Ford v Ferrari" movie review. I'd like to point out that this movie is about the world's most famous "endurance" race, the 24 Heures du Mans. Grand Prix racing, on the other hand, is contested by ten two-car teams in very high tech one-off open-wheel cars. The races are two-hour sprints and about twenty races are held annually to determine the championship.
20