Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Robert Duvall in the Tony Scott movie ‘Days of Thunder’

2022 was a summer of revisiting a 20th century adrenaline-infused collaboration of director Tony Scott and actor Tom Cruise. With this film review, we look into the other adrenaline-infused need for speed with the movie Days of Thunder (1990).

(From left, Nicole Kidman as Dr. Claire Lewicki and Tom Cruise as Cole Trickle in the Tony Scott movie Days of Thunder).

The movie Days of Thunder introduces us to young racer Cole Trickle of the Eagle Rock community of Los Angeles County, California. Trickle, as portrayed by Tom Cruise, had success on the World of Outlaws circuit of racing. Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to rise to the level of financial backing to compete at the Indianapolis 500, Cole Trickle’s fortunes took a turn for the better when Chevrolet dealership tycoon Tim Daland, as portrayed by Randy Quaid, recruited him to race on what in 1990 was called the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

(From left, Robert Duvall as Harry Hogge and John C. Reilly as Buck Bretherton in the Tony Scott movie Days of Thunder).

Daland had recruited crew chief and car builder Harry Hogge, as portrayed by Robert Duvall, out of retirement to lead Cole’s pit crew. Hogge had retired so as to avoid a NASCAR investigation of Hogge’s role in the death of driver Buddy Bretherton. The introduction of personalities and histories weren’t completely smooth, as Buck Bretherton became Cole Trickle’s car chief with this deal. John C. Reilly portrayed Buck Bretherton.

(From left, Randy Quaid as Tim Daland and Michael Rooker as Rowdy Burns in the Tony Scott movie Days of Thunder).

The transition to the NASCAR racing style began for Trickle with the race in Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Besides the intimating style of racing by Winston Cup champion and dirty driver Rowdy Burns, as portrayed by Michael Rooker, communicating with his crew and the aerodynamics of NASCAR racing were a challenge. Races at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennesse, Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware and Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina led to further communication difficulty.

(From left, Cary Elwes as Russ Wheeler and Fred Thompson as Big John in the Tony Scott movie Days of Thunder).

Things would begin to turn the corner at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Things between Burns and Trickle as competitors take a dangerous turn at the Firecracker 400 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Cole Trickle develops a romantic relationship with neurosurgeon Dr. Claire Lewicki, as portrayed by Nicole Kidman, in the aftermath. NASCAR President Big John, as portrayed by Fred Thompson, intervenes between Trickle and Burns after their incident, though as interesting exchange involving rental cars occurs before the heat of this latter relationship diminishes. Meanwhile, Russ Wheeler, as portrayed by Cary Elwes, races in Burns’ place as the two recover.

(From left, actor Tom Cruise and director Tony Scott during the filming of the Tony Scott movie Days of Thunder).

The drama that climbs to the surface at the Daytona 500 to start the next racing season, with many strings of story coming to a head with how the race resolves itself, were satisfying if a bit predictable. The racing scenes themselves were more realistic than I’ve seen in other racing films. The extreme sense of wills clashing seems legitimate to the sport of auto racing, however. It is in this space that my regard for the film improves. Overall, I give Days of Thunder as directed by Tony Scott and co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, August 20, 2022

Matt Damon, Christian Bale and the film ‘Ford v Ferrari’

It was avid car aficionado in the form of Lynn‘s West Virginia uncle who turned me on to the biopic film about the 1966 automobile race 24 Hours of Le Mans. This particular film, and the facts underpinning it, tells the story about the stranglehold that the Ferrari brand had on the race at the time as well as the battle Ford had in becoming relevant there for a four year stretch beginning in 1966. The film that addresses this contest is Ford v Ferrari (2019).

(From left, Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby and Tracy Letts as Henry Ford II in the film Ford v Ferrari).

The crux of the film starts around the time that the Ford Mustang as a vehicle was introduced, with Ford owner Henry Ford II (as played by Tracy Letts) making an overture to Ferrari owner Enzo Ferrari (as played by Remo Girone) to acquire the motor company owned by Ferrari, and being soundly rebuffed in a move to increase the sales price to Fiat. This led to a courting by Ford of Carroll Shelby (as played by Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (as played by Christian Bale).

(From left, Stefania Spampinato as Enzo Ferrari‘s English Translator and Remo Girone as Enzo Ferrari in the film Ford v Ferrari).

The means of being rebuffed by Enzo Ferrari opened, or perhaps revealed, an emotional rivalry between he and Henry Ford II that revealed some interesting dynamics in the way Ford was operated as a company. Lee Iacocca, as portrayed by Jon Bernthal, brought Carroll Shelby into the Ford company when Henry Ford II demanded engineers and money into the company to have the wherewithal to compete with Ferrari at Le Mans.

(From left, Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca and Corrado Invernizzi as Franco Gozzi in the film Ford v Ferrari).

The compelling notion of what worked in the movie Ford V Ferrari was first the racing story with the fortunes of two automobile companies at the center of it. Also there were the personalities within Ford, with Shelby and Miles as clearly outsiders to the corporate culture of the larger company. Iacocca was a bit of a middleman between that culture and the work getting done by Shelby and Miles.

(Josh Lucas as Leo Beebe in the film Ford v Ferrari).

Josh Lucas as Leo Beebe was the face of that corporate culture, and in many ways vilified for his role in how the 24 Hours of Le Mans came to a resolution in 1966. There was natural tension in his trusted role in Ford and the natural conflict that arose in holding the Shelby / Miles team to an account that also reflected on the public face of what Ford wished to project. Said another way, a story of Ford v Ferrari was the means for how mean with well-defined senses of self worth worked together. This came into play as well between Shelby and Miles, the both of them and Beebe, and the full lot of them and Henry Ford II with Iacocca in the middle. Ken Miles and his wife, Mollie Miles as portrayed by Caitriona Balfe, had their own form of intrigue as shown in Ford v Ferrari.

(From left, Caitriona Balfe as Mollie Miles and Christian Bale as Ken Miles in the film Ford v Ferrari).

I found the movie Ford v Ferrari both entertaining and interesting. There’s history in the telling, despite some clear fictionalized dramatization included for the sake of the telling. The fiction offered something that worked for me in this case, though there are some muscle car folks that might not agree. I rate Ford v Ferrari at 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, July 15, 2020