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| Source: Imdb |
This drama about winning the 24h race at Le Mans in 1966, though
nail-biting in places, had a bit of starting difficulty. The warm-up was really
slow, followed by a good first lap. Then the story took an unexpected pit-stop,
tension-wise, just when it seemed to finally gather momentum. The second lap
was a lot tighter than the first, but followed by a half-hearted finish. Script-wise,
this could have used some more work. There were just too many trimmings in this
film, which made it feel extremely long despite the tense sequences – no surprise
at an impressive 152 minute runtime. So, there was definitely room to
stream-line this baby.
The acting
was good. Matt Damon and Christian Bale brought their A-game, especially with
the flawless accents they were putting on. Their character's friendship was beautifully portrayed. I especially liked the little detail in their brawl scene where Shelby picks up an item to knock Miles over the head with, realises it's a food can, and grabs a bread package instead. Particularly impressive was Matt
Damon’s acting at the end, where his character is visibly grieving. Maybe that is the
reason they left material like this in the final cut: it’s just too good to
deny the audience a look at this mastery. All supporting roles were also
well-cast. I particularly liked seeing Noah Jupe again so soon after “Honey boy”.
He is definitely up and coming, and holding his own against a few industry
titans.
The
technical side of this production was of high quality: great visuals with a
vibrant colour palette, decent cinematography and subtle CGI. The editing was
conventional, the score serviceable though not in any way remarkable. Yet there
were flaws as well, like the obvious error in directing when they were working
on white-hot breaks with no gloves. Nah, I don’t think so. The title of the film is not well-chosen either, as that battle is decided after what feels like half the film.
All in all,
a gripping experience, but not nearly as good as Ron Howard’s masterpiece “Rush”.
4/5
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