When it comes to high-speed entertainment, it has been difficult to avoid the “Fast & Furious” series for several years now. But if you’re longing for a true automotive epic where Vin Diesel doesn’t constantly preach the value of family loyalty, should “LeMans66“, which is now available with a Netflix subscription.
Besides the two leads, Christian Bale and Matt Damon, who are always reason enough to watch a movie, there is another personality that makes ‘Le Mans 66’ incredibly interesting. James Mangold has chosen to direct. He recently delivered “Indiana Jones 5.”
That’s what “Le Mans 66” is about
In the early 1960s, Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) takes over his grandfather’s family business. To achieve the goal of establishing American cars in the market dominated by European manufacturers, he overhauls the entire marketing concept with the support of the young visionary Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) and the former racing champion and engineer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon). .
Together they develop the Ford GT40, which will beat the Ferraris in their own race at Le Mans – it would be a revolution in racing! Together with British driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) they work on the revolutionary racing car. Although the men all pursue the same dream, the collaboration between the stubborn people turns out to be more complicated than initially thought…
Not only recommended for racing fans
In the official FILMSTARTS review, James Mangold’s two-and-a-half-hour epic received no less than four out of five stars. In addition to the expectedly great cast, it is especially the production that makes “Le Mans 66” so worthwhile: “Anyone who thought Ron Howard set the ultimate standard in ‘Rush’ will be even more excited about this.”
It is impressive how “Le Mans 66” elevates the racing scenes to a physical experience: “Thanks to the work of the crew around cameraman Phedon Papamichael and especially thanks to the brilliant sound design of Jay Wilkinson, the viewer can almost feel the vibrations of the engine, small irregularities in the road surface or acceleration.”
‘Le Mans 66’, which is based on true events, is incredibly moving because the action really thrills you, as the criticism makes clear: ‘The grandiose staging of the action is not only a gimmick, Mangold also uses it to to say something with these photos. […] We feel like we are in the driver’s seat.”