Le Mans 66

Un autre rôle formidable pour Christian Bale et comme tant d'autre, encore brillamment joué ! Ce rôle et l'acteur lui-même, constituent la moitié des virages de cette balade amusante, légèrement parfumée d'intimité. Mangold apporte une direction claire à chaque scène et ce jusqu'à la ligne d'arrivée, et dans le final, il sert généreusement trois résumés de l'histoire. Cependant, il est possible de discuter de leur équilibre et de leur lien émotionnel et intellectuel, ce qui nous amène au handicap fatal du film. (26/11/2019)

A beautiful guys’ story of Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby full of scenes I will probably never forget. Moreover it’s a story from automobile world so beautiful and tragic that I was surprised it wasn’t filmed earlier. After a long time, I felt like was watching something really unique. Matt Damon and Christian Bale absolutely excelled in their performances. Chris was maybe a tiny bit better, because his eccentric character Ken was entertaining due to his complex personality from beginning to the end. And when things came to a head, I had no idea what he would do. And that’s where the charm of this story lies. If you don’t know too many details, you will enjoy it. If you know the details, you will enjoy it too. The shots of beautiful cars with timeless design, absolutely faithful scenes with Henry Ford II. or Enzo Ferrari, as significant for this movie as they were at the time when they really happened, plus a ton of references to the automotive industry of the period (starting with assembly line production and ending with the shots from the Ferrari company in Modena) are the main but not only reasons to award this movie with the full number of stars. This is the kind of movie that will make filmmaking history. And it also portrays a beautifully conveyed true male friendship that knows no boundaries and in this case will live forever. (06/11/2019)

The trailers promised a masculine and dense drama that would be both old-school atmospheric and modern at the same time. And that's what we got in the cinemas. Ford v Ferrari may be nearly two and a half hours long, but it paces incredibly well, and the final race is one of the most gripping scenes of the year – though the tinkering with the car in the workshop, the vigorous exchanges between the protagonists and the Ford executives, and the wild testing of what the car and its driver are no less entertaining. James Mangold's film has great heroes whose camaraderie (peppered with the occasional fight between them) you believe in, Christian Bale and Matt Damon are both excellent, and the duel with their Italian adversaries, which lasts perhaps thirty minutes, is literally packed with twists and turns and thrilling moments. Whether it's Bale hurtling down the track at 250 km/h or Damon figuring out how to carve out a few extra seconds in the pits. Aside from a few details, like the overly one-dimensional antagonists, I don't really know much to fault Ford v Ferrari for. Extremely honest filmmaking and one of the contenders for film of the year. (07/11/2019)

Mangold, as always, follows the path of least resistance. This gasoline-soaked bromance thus favors cliche and simple shortcuts over complexity. Sometimes, Mangold's routine is funny (the way he helps himself by creating a disgusting villain, a B-movie caricature of a Ferrari driver), sometimes it’s a little irritating (will the directors really keep only giving Bernthal roles to play in a coma?), but mostly it’s just straightforward fun. The racing sequences are shot with confidence and with the pedal to the floor. Bale and Damon talk about electric innovations, and the former can conjure more intensity with his expression behind the wheel than the spectacular somersaults of racing cars at the curb of a country road in Le Mans. This film praises honest garage guys who face the dementia of people in suits with their hearts and over sensitivity. Just like Rush, it’s impossible not to like it. At the same time, however, one cannot get rid of the feeling that the best story in the history of motorsport has more horses under the hood than Mangold was able to take advantage of. He is simply such a reliable Ford van with a stable, bubbling diesel engine. Not a passionate twelve-cylinder. (16/11/2019)

If you missed Rush, it's a pity that no one made a follow-up with a similar type of film. But you don't have to be sad anymore, because Ford v Ferrari is exactly the same petrol-scented racing “fairy tale made by men, for men". This time it’s about how a legend and one of the most iconic racing cars of all time was born. Mangold, whether on the track or behind the scenes, puts the pedal to the metal for two and a half hours, the races are pumped full of adrenaline, the characters are strong, the tension and the bets are tangible, the stylization of all participants including the racers, sponsors and bureaucracy is first rate, and everything is depicted with humor and drama. And in terms of craftsmanship, it couldn't have been any better. And the bunch of actors really enjoying the show is just the icing on the cake. The less academically biographical or historically precise, the more riveting and more stylish. And, above all, better. (06/11/2019)

5th best movie may be an exaggeration, but the best movie about racing it is without a doubt. James Mangold emerges as a guarantee of great quality, serving up a nerve-wracking tale of the most challenging Le Mans race, with both Christian Bale and Matt Damon excelling. At first I struggled to fully immerse myself in the film, but once the car testing began and the actual half hour race itself, packed with complications and suspense, it was a blast. I probably don't need to see it again, but I enjoyed it. 8/10 (03/12/2019)

A memorial to Ken Miles and his friendship with Carroll Shelby. Mangold directs the wonderfully clear screenplay so surehandedly that the two and a half hours spent in the theater just fly by. Ford v Ferrari is a real hit with fantastic race scenes, one-liners from Bale with his brutal British accent and Shelby’s talent as a saboteur. The fight with the big corporation encumbered with a bureaucratic system and dumb managerial decisions works just fine (and in itself mirrors today’s ridiculous times when they couldn’t get the rights to use the title Ford v Ferrari inside the European Union), but it all stands on the performances of Bale, Damon and the Ford GT40. (14/11/2019)

A more sweeping, layered and playful ride than the slightly older Rush, which by the way was much more focused and coherent than this racing part comedy, part drama. In terms of the acting, it's similarly strong, I'd even say Damon delivers one of his best performances, but at times it’s not as hard-hitting and nuanced as Ron Howard's masterpiece. Mangold loses at the finish line, but he’s racing in a slightly different category. The link remains primarily the smell of gasoline. (27/11/2019)

A spectacle as intoxicating as the speed of a race car, perfectly filmed, with amazing sound... It's movies like this, that take me "right there" for a few hours, that make me love cinema the most. In fact, I knew almost nothing about the story of this famous race, and thanks to that it never ceased to surprise me from the beginning to the very end, entertaining me with its speed, insight, and relaxed atmosphere, and constantly seeming to say "It's not over yet, wait for the finale." I waited, and I have to say that this is to Le Mans '66 what a Live Aid concertis to, say, Bohemian Rhapsody – a huge spectacle, enthusiastic and enthralling. Christian Bale is an absolute standout (I realized I last saw him in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises and that's quite a shame) and he's as good with Matt Damon as, say, Robert Redford was back in the day with Paul Newman. James Mangold's direction is precise and the idea of the film is beautiful. I hope there's a book about Ken Miles now. (16/11/2019)

In terms of the craftsmanship and the acting, it’s a precise reconstruction of events, there’s no question about it, and if I was an ardent fan of motor sports I would probably jump in joy, but I can’t put up with the motivational naivete and the explicit fairytale story, where the evil Italians deride the heroic American designers, whose bosses are blithering idiots. The cinematography and, especially, the sound of the races are awesome and Bale is great again, but I would cut twenty minutes off and pay more attention to the balance between the three climaxes, of which only one worked for me. That said, this is a pleasant film and I’ve no reason harbour any hate towards it. (24/12/2019)

I'm not a fan of sports movies, cars don't really appeal to me and Christian Bale has never been my cup of tea, but I decided to go to the cinema to see Le Mans '66 anyway, encouraged by the trailers and the high ratings far and wide. Even though the film is two and a half hours long, I was not bored at all and was carried along on a sincerely told and believably acted story with the smell of petrol, sweat and burnt wheels, the pace of which was perhaps even more brisk than the speed of the cars on the racing tracks. Le Mans '66 makes no secret of its Oscar ambitions and isn't afraid to show it, but it didn't distract me as a viewer. It's not just the actors, but the technical execution that takes your breath away – during the final race, I felt like I was a spectator at the racetrack back in 1966. A strong four stars for me, but I think if I were a fan and connoisseur of car racing, this would certainly be a five-star piece. (17/11/2019)

Ford v Ferrari is interesting in the way it assembles its entire form through individual, seemingly unimportant details, to which perhaps an entire episode is devoted that seemingly has no point in itself. However, these episodes and details patiently and gradually build up a picture of what to focus on when everything in the film is at stake. In this way, the film avoids the usual problem of having the protagonists semi-pathetically explain to us what is actually going on in the finale to give the viewer a sense of direction. In the final race, it is assumed that the viewer has so far learned everything necessary to orient himself if he has been paying attention. And it's one of the many reasons why the races themselves then work so well. Not to mention how superbly filmed they are and how unassuming even in the most dramatic moments. There are, of course, those moments when, in a pinch, the top racer has to be told to ride like a dragon and suddenly he floors it and passes everyone. There's the badass wife character to keep it from being a bimbo slapped in there, there's Bale's pining for an Oscar even though he accidentally interpreted his character as a 1901 oil tycoon, but those are the compromises you have to put up with sometimes in a blockbuster. Otherwise, I'd want blockbusters to look like this. PS: with this film, I'm unfortunately forced to amend my favorite joke, "What do you call Jon Bernthal in a blazer? Will the defendant please rise" to "What do you call Jon Bernthal in a jacket? A marketer with a conscience." (12/02/2020)

I remember a time when my interest in motorsport (and especially F1) was more than lukewarm, but this phase basically ended for me with the end of Nigel Mansell's sports career. Those hair-gelled primadonnas racing today who seem to be keeping track of their online status even while in their cockpits, don't make me gasp in awe but gag instead. So, I approached the film without much expectation, which is why I enjoyed the story even more. The film took me back to a time when it was still about the driver's skills. What slightly spoiled this was the fact that the Americans defeated Don Enzo only thanks to sabotage and a theft of a stopwatch. I also wasn't happy to realize that my favorite Christian Bale was overplaying at times and Matt Damon delivered a much more natural performance. Do you get it?! Matt Damon! (02/12/2020)

Disney swallowed 20th Century Fox back in the spring, but the symbolic end of the studio producing expensive movies with flair has only just arrived. And that ending is truly iconic. Le Mans ‘66 is an example of proper Hollywood, where everything works as it should, with the bad guys wearing neat ties and the good guys sporting greasy cowboy hats. It's that simple and that's all the story needs. And what is the only major difference with Rush? That with Hunt and Lauda, they knew it had to end with the best. (15/11/2019)

Since I'm not really a fan of car racing, I was a bit scared by the somewhat longer runtime of this film. That's why it took me quite a while to get up the courage to watch it. If I'd only known how incredibly appealingly filmed it was, I wouldn't have hesitated at all, and I'd have watched the events at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France long ago. I was never bored during the film and I was rooting for the main characters right from the beginning. I could feel the period atmosphere from all sides, even from the looks of Matt Damon and Christian Bale, who both gave very convincing performances, and especially the latter was absolutely amazing in his role. Last but not least, I also appreciate the fact that the filmmakers did not spoil the story's denouement with any heartbreaking scenes, which the tragic conclusion of the fate of British racer Ken Miles directly encouraged. I mustn't forget to mention the great soundtrack, which gave all the action the right amount of gradation. (95%) (02/02/2022)