Snake & Mongoose

Too bad this didn't get more traction. It's actually a great movie. It's more than just about racing. It's got real heart & depth, shows how teammates bring different strengths to the table. Personally I love cars & racing but I think anyone can enjoy this movie.

To all of the reviews saying they remember the "matchbox" cars. Do they really? I still have my original HotWheels (by Mattel) Snake 🐍 and Mongoose Drag Racing Set. It was instrumental in forming my gearhead mentality that got me into Racing 🏁 on the street and tracks. This movie is well worth your time. Give the Snake &Mongoose a chance. Maybe you have a future Gearhead in your family.?!

For some reason, the actor they played Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen kept making me think of Greg from the Brady Bunch...:)...I was a kid in the 60's so I remember these names well (snake and mongoose) we had their Hotwheels, we knew of their racing prowess and until a couple days ago when I saw this on cable, I had totally forgotten about them for decades...:)...

I didn't realize how truly great Don Prudhomme was as a drag racer...I was very impressed seeing some of his runs! I remember going to drag races at Atco NJ...The sound of those funny cars is like NOTHING you've ever heard if you haven't watched a drag race...The ground quakes!

Overall this a great biography of an interesting set of characters and a great look back on this period! I'm glad I saw it...

This indie film shines with great directing, fine acting and wonderful cinematography. It's portrayal of 1960's drag racing culture is enhanced with great music and dead-on period settings, backed with tons of archival footage of the real stuff. Prudhomme and McEwen's often-difficult back stories show the rivalry and friendship that created drag racing legends....legends that in turn created a new paradigm for sports sponsorship and promotion. The film takes you along for the entire ride with its ups and downs, wins and losses, happiness and sadness. Along with Ford V. Ferrari, one of the best racing films in many years.

If you're looking for award winning caliber acting or writing here then this is probably not the movie for you , as it has a definite B-movie stamp on it. However, I found myself engaged enough in the story, based on true events, to be quite interested throughout.

It chronicles the 20 year drag racing rivalry between Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen, culminating at the NHRA U.S. National Championships, in 1978 at Indianapolis, Indiana. This was rather a friendly rivalry even culminating in a business partnership at one point.

The two men were polar opposites in personality with McEwen, portrayed by Richard Blake, being outgoing, gregarious, and always looking at innovations and the big picture, while Prudhomme. played by Jesse Williams, being a "nose-to-the-grindstone" type who was completely focused on winning races.

Led by McEwen's excellent marketing skills, they eventually landed the large toy manufacturer Mattel as a sponsor, and it proved to be a highly beneficial partnership for all concerned, with the Hot Wheels toy promotions. This also helped bring drag racing onto the national scene and brought a whole new wave of fans on board.

With a good supporting cast including Ashley Hinshaw, Tim Blake Nelson, Fred Dryer, Noah Wylie, and Kim Shaw the movie was also enhanced by its' interspersion of actual drag races and the national TV coverage at times. There's also a short but funny interview clip with the real Prudhomme and McEwen which was valuable to see.

Having watched drag racing on TV years ago, I found this film overall to be interesting, despite, as mentioned, the wooden dialog and acting.