The best film about contemporary car racing
What makes great cinema strong is its ability to take viewers where they least expect it. And do something you couldn’t do otherwise. So, when in 2019 James Mangold starts telling Historic Ford victory at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans against Ferrariand his hat-trick at the finish line, what to expect? The story of a spectacular race? Behind the scenes of the American company’s strategy to end the hegemony of the Italian Ferrari? We then find these two sides of the story, but above all the story of the friendship and determination of two men: Carroll Shelby, car designer and manager of a sports team, and Ken Miles, a racing driver as victorious as he was hot-headed. This is how their story is told above all Le Mans66.
So, for this film, James Mangold recruits two stars he is used to main rolesMatt Damon (Carroll Shelby) and Christian Bale (Ken Miles). Their respective personalities and images are already used. Matt Damon, the American actor with an innocent, even naive appearance, teams up with the British Christian Bale, known for his radical transformations and the ambiguity of his “heroism”. Two dissimilar profiles and therefore perfect to embody this engineer-pilot duo very effective despite their old rivalry on the circuits and their different life philosophies.
The psychology of these two personalities interests James Mangold, but so does the spectacular and engaging staging of the competitions that animate them. Le Mans66Produced with as many practical effects as possible and brilliantly assembled, the viewer finds himself installed in the cockpit of the famous Ford GT40that Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles developed together to finally win the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Critical and commercial success
Upon his release, Le Mans66 It was received very warmly by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it gets 92% TO Tomato meter AND 98% TO Popcorn meter (new viewer note). At the worldwide box office, it grossed more than $225.5 million, against a production budget of nearly $100 million.
It was later awarded at the 2020 BAFTA where it won the BAFTA for Best Editing. It also gets two Oscar that same year, that of Best Editing and that of Best sound editing. Le Mans 66 was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing.
Christian Bale, who gives another memorable performance, gets his Fifth Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. An award he has already won twice, in 2011 fighter and in 2019 for Vice. Proof that he is an actor of remarkable reliability, and above all that he has the ability to give his best even when accompanied by another main rolecompletely occupying the image while letting his partner thrive there too.
Le Mans66 will leave Netflix on September 14, 2024it is therefore urgently to be (re)examined. Do it!
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
