Film Review: Le Mans ’66

James Mangold’s Le Mans ‘66 offers thrills in abundance. The bravura racing sequences are enough to overcome a flawed screenplay.

In the 1960s, Henry Ford II is looking for an idea to get the Ford company out of its slump. Ford decide to build a race car to compete in Le Mans, but need the right team to do it…

Focusing on Ford’s attempts to build a race car to win the Le Mans tournament, Le Mans ‘66 principally concentrates on a former driver turned designer and a successful but disagreeable driver.  The film focuses on these two and their motivation, with the wider history entering the fray at intervals.

The script, written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller is rather perfunctory. Miles is given depth in his character, while most others exist to provide a sounding board, or exposition. The dialogue, save for some amusing asides, is not great.  

To begin with, it appears as if Le Mans ’66 is going to be very pro-American, and very pro the great American corporation. Mangold subverts these expectations as the narrative continues, offering something much more critical. With the US title of Ford v Ferrari, viewers would be forgiven for thinking the film would set up a rivalry which permeates throughout. However, this is very much the Ford show, with the Ferrari team only having a peripheral role.  

Where the film excels is in its execution of the racing sequences. Here James Mangold shows his flair in delivering exciting, sometimes nerve-wracking scenes. The camerawork and editing are aided a good deal by some really great sound design. The freneticism of activity is effectively captured by Mangold. Christian Bale once again delivers a very convincing performance as Ken Miles. Matt Damon is on good form, Caitriona Balfe is given little to do but play the supportive wife. 

Le Mans ‘66 is a triumph of action over script. If the screenplay had matched the action, the film would have been a tour de force.

Le Mans ’66 is being screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2019.

Previews: Don’t Look Now Trailer, Ad Astra, More!

Plenty new and renewed in this week’s preview of coming attractions, including the new Don’t Look Now trailer, Ad Astra, An Acceptable Loss, and more…

Don’t Look Now Trailer

Here is a brand new Don’t Look Now trailer. The 1973 classic gets a 4K Ultra HD restoration, which will play in cinemas from 5th July, and be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Collector’s Edition from 29th July 2019. Directed by Nicholas Roeg, Don’t Look Now is an iconic thriller, and truly a must-see film.

Ad Astra Trailer

Here is the first trailer for the hotly anticipated Ad Astra. The film is about an astronaut who travels to the edge of the solar system to find his missing father and the project he was working on. Directed by James Gray (The Lost City of Z), the film stars Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ruth Negga. Ad Astra will hit UK screens on 18th September 2019.

An Acceptable Loss Trailer

An Acceptable Loss is a political thriller about Libby, a university lecturer who formerly worked as an aide for the US Vice President. When the Vice President becomes President, Libby worries about her safety. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Tika Sumpter. An Acceptable Loss will be available on Digital Download from 15th July 2019.

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark Trailer

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is a new horror based on the book series of the same name. Set in 1968 small-town America, the film is about a young girl who turns her horrible secrets into a series of scary stories, which are found by a group of teenagers. Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is directed by André Øvredal and co-written and produced by Guillermo del Toro. The film is released in UK cinemas in August 2019.

Le Mans ’66 Trailer

Here is the first trailer for Le Mans ’66 (known as Ford vs Ferrari in the US). The film is about the designer and race driver who built a revolutionary race car for Ford to take on the dominating race cars of Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. Directed by James Mangold (Logan, Knight and Day), the film stars Christian Bale and Matt Damon. Le Mans ’66 launches on to UK screens on 8th November 2019.