Le Mans '66 Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

Ups...

7. Christian Bale & Matt Damon's Terrific Performances

The main reason to see this movie, unsurprisingly, is the two remarkable lead performances from Christian Bale and Matt Damon.

As charmingly off-kilter Brit race car driver Ken Miles, Christian Bale delivers his most magnanimous and straight-up fun performance in years, making Miles a prickly yet charming "hero."

And even Bale's much-discussed accent, which might seem ridiculous at first, isn't far off Miles' real vocal register.

Bale doesn't necessarily make for a natural underdog on-screen, but here his immensely likeable and sympathetic character makes it so easy to root for him.

If Bale boasts the flashier of the two lead roles - and the one more likely to catch the Academy's attention - Matt Damon's American engineer Carroll Shelby is the perfect counterpoint.

Damon gives a typically cool, Matt Damon-y performance, but one that riffs wonderfully off the various Ford big-wigs Shelby has to deal with, and of course, Miles himself.

It's not a particularly transformative role, but Damon carries it off with with his signature easy charisma.