I know very little about the world of professional racing, and was unaware until I saw this movie of the dramatic background to the 1966 Le Mans race, where the Ford motor company had the gumption to take on Ferrari. Henry Ford II (played by the always dependable Tracy Letts), being dissed by the owner of Ferrari, gives the resources needed to get the job done to car designer and former racer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Shelby’s good friend and favourite driver, Ken Miles (the terrific Christian Bale, who inhabits this role as he does every other he undertakes). At 2.5 hours, the story is a bit long — on the other hand it’s about ten times shorter than a Le Mans race — but it’s fun, witty, stylish, and the acting is good.
