Somewhat surprised by the high ratings and Oscar nominations this has garnered. Writing as a motor racing fan, it simply isn't a good film.

I'll start with some positives.

The supporting cast are good, and the rivalries and relationships between Shelby (Damon) and Miles (Bale) and the Ford Motor Co. And Miles' own family are engaging. Production values are high too.

But there is a long list of negatives.

Biggest problem by far is the two leads. Christian Bale, as usual, is ACTING and he wants the audience to be very aware of it, to the extent of putting on an over-the-top Brummie accent complete with non-stop commentary on everything he is doing while inside the car.

Matt Damon is "acting" as only Matt can. He is doing a bit of an accent as well. At least he isn't quite as annoying as Bale.

You just can't engage with either of them.

And the weak lead performances just make you notice all the technical inaccuracies. It's not a good start when some of the first cars you see on screen are obvious modern replicas. On top of that, the timeline is changed to make the story more dramatic (ignoring the GT40s origins in the UK, playing with the timeline of the Fiat/Ferrari takeover, transporting the "old man" to Le Mans).

But probably the greatest crime is that the testing and racing sequences fall into all the bad tropes of filmmakers who don't understand car racing, and change the dynamics to make it more appealing to a general audience. Cars ALWAYS have an extra gear that gives them a 20mph boost to overtake. Drivers coast along the main straights so they can have a lingering look through an opponents window, or maybe even say a few words. Cars are never on the racing line, instead they are weaving at random. Cars collide (or are forced off the track deliberately) and burst into flames with no reference to the consequences.

Ford winning Le Mans out of spite is a great story. This film doesn't do it justice.