The Lionheart

I want to say this was brilliant, but it seems wrong that a documentary celebrating the life of IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon, taken too early from us in a crash at Las Vegas more than ten years (!!) ago now should be called brilliant.

It is, however, compelling: plenty to make you smile and laugh and truckloads that will make you very emotional. I swear someone was cutting onions whilst I was watching. Or maybe that was just my feels hitting me all at once?

It had to have been insanely tough for Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, Michael Andretti, Chip Ganassi and especially Dan's wife Susie to reminisce about the man/father/friend/drier they knew. But they do so perfectly. Seeing Dan in his young boys, Oliver and Sebastian, was heart-warming, but also a reminder of what we have lost now that Dan is no longer with us.

A shame Randy Bernard, the IndyCar boss who came up with the Las Vegas race idea that took Wheldon's life was, declined to be interviewed by HBO's cameras.

I highly recommend this documentary that so very well tells both the story of Dan Wheldon's success and the tragedy that followed. This is intertwined with footage during the time of his career, and current day as his young children try to enter racing themselves.

Dan's wife Susie along with his friends and fellow Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, and Scott Dixon, are featured during the years of Dan's racing career as well as now.

Also, featured are current day interviews with Dan's father, Clive Wheldon.

I admire how well directed and edited this film. I highly recommend this feature length documentary.

I don't even know where to begin. This documentary is all over the place and offers a weird watching experience because it's pacing is all over the place and the documentary itself is also jumping from place to place without any focus. The flow of the documentary is off and it keeps going from one place to another without transition and back again.

There are many parts where it felt very repetitive. We get it, the guy liked racing and so do his kids. You don't have to repeat the same point 100 times. We get it, his accident was tragic. We really do. I don't know why these documentaries assume that people are stupid and need to be told the same stuff over and over in repetition.

Also what is this documentary's main point? What are they trying to tell us? It just seems like the found a sad story and wanted to make a film of it. You have to have a main message and a "so what" statement but this documentary absolutely fails to deliver it.

What's the point of this documentary? There is nothing new in it and no central take home message. They just tell us how much this guy liked racing how he died in a race and now how his kids also love racing. So what? What's your point with all of this? This whole documentary could have been a 10 minute news segment at the evening news.

This documentary adds nothing new and it's quiet boring because of all its flaws.

As a lifelong IndyCar fan. Dan Wheldon was my hero growing up. The charisma, the talent, the passion and the love was always on full display with Dan. This documentary stories the life of Dan Wheldon while paralleling how his kids are continuing in Dan's footsteps today. It's a well put together documentary with all of the main players contributing to the film (except Barnhardt).

This is also a documentary about love and family. Susie Wheldon is an incredible, courageous and strong person. How she has handled the events that unfolded and still was able to bring up her kids in the racing world is incredible.

A must watch for all, and bring a box of tissues.