I disagree with Netflixry. My dad used to drag race, so I grew up at the race track. I majored in Broadcasting in college, so I'd like to think I also have a decent grasp of film making. Is this film on the level of Forest Gump or Titanic? No, it's not. But Snake and Mongoose didn't have their budget either. Does it have a 'made-for-TV' feel to it? Yes it does. But I wouldn't call the film horrible. In fact, my dad and I were talking after watching it, and we agreed that it's probably one of the best racing movies ever made. Will a die hard drag racing fan notice a few minor inaccuracies? Yes. But on a whole, this film was still a lot more true to the historical and technical aspects of racing than Heart Like a Wheel, Days of Thunder, or Driven. So if you're a motor sports fan who doesn't realistically expect the production value to be on the same level as Jurassic Park, I'd say it's a good watch, worth your 90 minutes of time.
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jrm11188131 October 2014
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stick5005 September 2014I was a teen and really into drag racing back then so I certainly remember the Snake and Mongoose. With that being said I really enjoyed this movie even though it's obviously pretty low budget. As a race fan I really liked seeing how hard of a struggle it was for even the guys who were doing all the winning in those days like the Snake. And the way it was the Mongoose who pushed all the business deals and how the ideas came about was very interesting as well. And who knew McEwen was into making safety innovations as well!
Of course every second of the vintage racing films (which make up a good portion of the movie!) was a delight and spotting shots of Linda Vaughn and Jungle Pam an added bonus. The shots of the kids in real '70s clothes brought back lots of memories too.
So if you are at all into motorsports, or even if you simply bought the Snake and Mongoose matchboxes back then, it's certainly worth a guilty pleasure movie night! -
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. -
cosmo_tiger7 March 2014"What you have in your office right here is the biggest draw in racing." In the 1970's the NHRA drag racing circuit was just starting to grow. The two biggest stars Don "The Snake" Proudhomme (Williams) and Tom "Mongoose" McEwen decide to join together and form a partnership. This partnership leads to a sponsorship with Hot Wheels as well as taking the sport to new heights. But like most things the rivalry on the track leads to tension off. I have stated before that I am not a big car racing fan, real life or movies. I wasn't a fan of Days of Thunder but I did think Rush was OK. This one is more along the lines of Rush. This one deals with the off the track aspect rather then the actual on track racing. The acting is OK but the thing that really helps the movie is the fact that it used actual race footage during the scenes, rather then the cheesy recreations most often used. Again though racing fans will really like this, but for people like me, I thought it was OK but nothing I'd watch again. Overall, better then I expected and the fact that real footage was used really made the movie that much better. I give this a B.
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netflixry27 March 2014Let me first start by saying I am a huge drag racing fan, and have been my entire life. Drag racing is in fact the only sport I follow. I'm also a movie fanatic, and know a good film when I see one. I couldn't wait to see this movie. I grew up watching a lot of their story unfold, so the old footage used in the film was a real treat. Unfortunately, that was the only treat in this God awful excuse for a movie. It was literally one of the worst movies I've ever seen. How it is currently rating over a 3 on IMDb, is as perplexing as how this fiasco ever made it to print in the first place. It was poorly written, poorly directed, and horribly acted. I've read the other reviews on here, and it's clear the reviewers are drag racing fans, and writing their glowing reviews based solely on nostalgia, and some sense of loyalty to the sport of drag racing, rather than on the actual merits of the film.
Yes, this film made me nostalgic for the old school rails and funny cars, but that doesn't make up for such a failed attempt at entertainment. I couldn't be more disappointed, mostly because the stories of these heroes of drag racing were horribly represented. Watching this movie was a lot like watching an old episode of the Threes Company. Yes, it's cool to see what use to be, but still painfully un-entertaining to watch. The only other redeeming quality was watching Ron Capps' cameo, with him awkwardly standing by as a statue of Lou Baney, and Alexis DeJoria's two second speaking cameo, actually not too bad as the ancillary character Paula.
If you love drag racing, then see the movie for the cool old footage, but be warned, you'll probably end up as disappointed as I was. If you're not a die hard drag racing fan, you'll probably just skip straight to the disappointment part. -
durthawg27 April 2014I grew up in California watching the Snake and the Mongoose race in person and recognize a lot of the cars in the movie. The cars used in the movie are fantastic and bring back many memories. I bought the DVD and haven't finished it yet, this should tell you something. It kind of putters along like one of the Lifetime channel movies my wife watches on TV. It really has that made for TV feel to it, Its really disappointing, I had such high hopes. Specifically the in car shots of the drivers helmets bouncing around are just horrible. And how many shots do we need of the transporters going down deserted highways do you need? Was this film ever edited? Seems to have a lot of filler. I have seriously seen better VHS tapes back in the day produced by Diamond P Sports. Its a shame they couldn't emulate classics like On Any Sunday, Heart like a wheel, Evel Knievel or even the movie Dale. I was hoping for better, but it is what it is.
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bbbaldie15 March 2014Man, this poor movie stunk up the box office. Too bad, it was an excellent, and dare I say it? - family friendly film. I remember buying the Hot Wheels cars, I remember Snake vs. Mongoose on Wide World of Sports, and I immensely enjoyed the more or less true story about the friends, rivals, and ultimately friends again pair who helped take racing to a higher level.
Not too many big names here, John Heard has a minor role, Noah Wyle has a bigger one, but the low-lying stars, Richard Blake and Jesse Williams, and also the delightfully unassuming Ashley Hinshaw as Lynn Prudhomme, will take you back to the 70's, when gas was cheap, cars were fast, and people sadly died when things went wrong with forward-engine top fuel dragsters.
Give this nice film a try. -
shoobe01-125 September 2015There's a good story back here, and they put a lot of effort into filming it well: period look is pretty solid, got access to some amazing cars, dressed the tracks and even got RVs and the ancillaries (shops, homes, etc) to look really good. The stock footage works pretty well, even.
But that's it. It's not paced at all, just a series of vignettes, with captions so you know who is being raced. It's terribly written, and not just in detail but in concept. Every scene is expository, nothing feels organic, like it is actually happening in the real world.
Filming is terrible, and jerks between horribly static telenovela quality and stupidity like the camera being tilted sideways during absolutely boring scenes.
And the acting, oh the terrible acting is terrible. Really, really hard to watch this movie. -
brooksrob116 September 2016For 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... -
RipRap7 August 2021To 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.?!
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stepcoach7 October 2022I can't tell you how many memories were ignited while watching this movie. I had, and still have somewhere, a huge collection of Hot Wheels cars. The Snake and the Mongoose were my two favorites.
I remember the commercials, the races on TV, and dreaming of the careers of these two dynamic competitors.
The movie certainly did not disappoint me. It brought back so many great feelings and so many exciting past moments when I was just a kid.
How could I keep from loving this story. I thought it was amazing how well the actors portrayed the characters, and how much the actors who were chosen to play them looked like the real men.
All I can say is thank you for making this sweet memory for those of us who lived it. -
racingfilmreviews4 January 2021Racing Films
Snake and Mongoose
Genre: Drama Released: 2013 Director: Wayne Holloway Run time: 102 min Platform viewed: Google Movies Clichés: We're gonna need a montage My rating: Four Hartley's
We all know about Prost and Senna, Brock and Johnson, but what about Snake and Mongoose? One of the reasons I started exploring all the racing films out there was because I thought I might come across some stories or aspects of racing I'd never heard of before. 'Snake and Mongoose' is one of those stories. The film is based on the rivalry in drag racing between Don Prudhomme (Snake) and Tom McEwen (Mongoose). Their rivalry spanned decades as both drivers started racing in the 1960's with McEwen retiring in 1992 and Prudhomme in 2009. But this was not your normal rivalry, while there was competitiveness between the two they orchestrated their own nicknames and played on the rivalry to bring in more fans, more sponsorship and more prize money.
Before we get further into the film, I need to deal with something else that this film brought up, The International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMHOF). I had never really looked into the IMHOF before but from the outset I assumed that the drivers in there would be of international heritage. How wrong I was, the IMHOF is a little bit like the "WORLD" series of baseball, which is based on the premise that America is already the best at baseball so therefore the finals of the American Series constitute the best series in the world. The IMHOF has inducted 148 drivers of which 121 are from the United States of America. Of the others 11 are from the UK, four from Italy, three from Brazil, then one each from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium and Germany. Ferdinand Porsche is there but listed as being Austro Hungarian, Czechoslovakian and German. Astonishingly there are two New Zealanders making up a whopping 7.4% of the international contingent. They are Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren who did a lot of sports car racing in the U.S.A. This should not really be news to anyone as the world is now well used to kiwis excelling in motor racing. Do I need to remind everyone that in 2020 kiwis have won the Supercars Championship, Bathurst, Le Mans 24hr, the Indy Car Championship and a team founded by kiwis came 3rd in the F1 constructors championship? Not good enough? Then what about Earl Bamber managing to finish first and second in the GTLM class at the 12 hours of Sebring? Needless to say, it has been a good year for kiwis...hopefully this has not gone unnoticed by IMHOF.
O.K digression over, let's get to the film. Knowing nothing of this story from the outset I thought this film did a great job of bringing it to life. Essentially this is a rivalry story with a twist, Prudhomme and McEwen were true competitors but also collaborators. The film takes us back to the early years of their careers in drag racing where Prudhomme is a conscientious grease monkey type character who likes to get his hands dirty and in contrast McEwen is a bit more of a party boy but also a bit of an entrepreneur. McEwen, however, is also smart enough to realise that the 'show' of motor racing is all about close competition and rivalry. Not only that, he can see the potential in marketing this rivalry. From here McEwen begins to create a marketable rivalry narrative including coming up with their respective nicknames.
As McEwen is not satisfied with the prize haul from his typical season running he starts marketing the 'Snake and Mongoose' show to drag strips around the country to support local track meets and boost the track gate takings. In return he bargains with track owners on a fixed payment to have them race which he splits with Prudhomme. The races not only attract more fans but also start to get the names 'Snake' and 'Mongoose' put out there more widely building national interest in the rivalry.
Building on the success of this McEwen approaches the head of Mattel toys who in 1968 had started producing Hot Wheels. The toys were already a kid favourite through producing some replicas of popular American street cars. McEwen's proposal to Mattel was that they could put Hot Wheels sponsorship on their drag cars and produce replicas of their cars to add to the Hot Wheels range. Mattel took some convincing but went along with the idea and as aresult Snake and Mongoose became the first drag racing team with corporate sponsorship. The partnership was a win for Mattel too with the Snake and Mongoose cars quickly becoming the biggest sellers in the Hot Wheels range in 1970. The two models initially produced were a Plymouth Barracuda and a Plymouth Duster funny car. Both models had hinged lift up bodies just like the real thing so you could see the huge engines and extra exhaust set ups underneath. Even by todays standards these models look awesome and Hot Wheels have gone on to produce various versions of these vehicles to this day. Earlier in 2020 Mattel put out some new reproductions of the cars to mark the 50th anniversary under their 'Legends of the Quarter Mile' branding.
Touring the country in this way mostly works out well but McEwen's party boy approach to life starts landing him in trouble on the home front. His wife finds it difficult to raise their son and confronts McEwen as he is about set off for another road trip. They separate which seems only to free up McEwen to pursue more of his off track activities. This then also leads to a falling out and split with his racing partner Prudhomme. McEwen is showing poor form and reliability on the strip which Prudhomme puts down to his off track activities impacting his ability to meticulously prepare his cars for racing. Another point of tension in the relationship had also been that Prudhomme was always more interested in racing top fuel dragsters as opposed to funny cars. So now he had a reason to split and pursue more of his own interests and goals.
Just as it seems like McEwen is in a destructive downward spiral, he learns that his only son has leukaemia. In the film this is shown as something of a turning point for McEwen. He starts spending more time with his son and contemplates withdrawing from racing altogether to support his family. His son has other ideas though and conveys to his father that watching him race was something he lived for and helped to keep him going through various treatments and long stints in hospital. This refocuses McEwen on his racing career, with renewed motivation McEwen beats Prudhomme to win the 1978 funny car nationals just a few days after his sons' death. It is a truly touching tale.
Overall this is an enjoyable film, the two main actors Jessie Williams (Prudhomme) and Richard Blake (McEwan) do an excellent job to authentically recreate the characters. Williams in particular bears an uncanny resemblance to a real life young Prudhomme. I was also totally captivated by Ashley Hinshaw as Lynn Prudhomme. She perfectly captured the 70s girl next door character but also the role of being a supportive partner helping Prudhomme with a lot of his work off the track. The acting is complimented by excellent recreations of the cars and clothing of the era creating a feeling of a time warp back to the 1970s. You should also keep an eye out for cameos from Prudhomme and McEwen themselves. This film captures a great personal story I never knew about and a racing story that produced one of sports longest running rivalries and changed the landscape of sponsorship in professional racing. We also get an epic montage thrown in put to Blue Oyster Cult.
In terms of its reception the film has a pretty average 5.7 rating on IMDB but I definitely felt that does not do the story or production quality justice. Don't be afraid to take a look at this film, while the subject of drag racing might not be your cup of tea, the story of these two racers is worth delving into. Prudhomme was also a significant campaigner for driver safety in drag racing, particularly fire protection, so as well as being the most successful driver ever he probably also saved some lives along the way. He is once quoted as saying "if we can send a guy to the moon, we can certainly go a quarter of a mile and not get hurt", wise words. This is where the Prudhomme and McEwen story ends up, a fitting showdown between IMDB and IMHOF. In this case IMDB have got it wrong, the film is worth more than it's 5.7 rating and IMHOF got it right, Don Prudhomme is well worthy of his inclusion, he just needs a few more international buddies.
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mtt_rayner7 October 2013So cool , { I was thinking' S'cool} wicked movie preview ,so looking forward in seeing it on DVD next year when she comes out 100 *stars 100 %,. Great drag movie for a long time & the actors r good!. I'm into Funny cars "Hot-wheel's" rule! { I wish I could tell ya how many Snake's & goose's "hot-wheel's" were first made & sold in 1970,71 & 72!} Maybe one day in the future They might bring out a small documentary on Mattel & the hot-wheel's brand. Anyway thumbs up for SNAKE & The MONGOOSE. The crash- scene looked really nasty, what else can I say,
, oh I hope the movie makes a better then a B movie in other words make a good profit!
? is, like to know how many drag, gassers & funny car enthusiast's will watch It! -
thetexasrabbit5 April 2015Drag racing in the early days must have been really difficult. In the 70s and 80s Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen showed us how in the film, Snake and Mongoose (2013). Drag Racing has defiantly changed over the last 50 years.
These types of films can be extremely wretched and poorly put together. It is fair to say this is one of the best racing films, especially because it is based on a true story. This film could have been placed in the drama category, but instead placing it in the action and adventure avenue. Some might see this in a category all its own, known as based on a true story. Combining historical footage and showing their life story through actors is amazing to say the least.
The plot of Snake and Mongoose (2013) is the story of Prudhomme and McEwen's relationship in the 70s and 80s. The story begins in southern California with two young kids having fun on the weekends trying to make a few extra bucks. As time went on they got better and better at what they do and pick up a few sponsors along the way. With McEwen's family sitting at home while he was out racing and him not being home caused some major problems. McEwen's wife Judy decides she has had enough and leaves him and takes the three boys with her. Prudhomme and McEwen are no longer teammates but are still friends looking out for one another. While out on the circuit traveling with his boys, McEwen was startled by his middle son. McEwen runs to find his youngest almost lifeless on the floor. McEwen takes him to the hospital and finds out the boy had leukemia. Which, by the end of the story takes his life, and gives his father a new perspective on reality.
Two friends doing what they do best when their feelings separate them, ultimately brings them back together stronger than ever before. Prudhomme was originally in it for fun. McEwen, on the other hand was in it for the money, counting every penny and spending more than he had.
The producers did a phenomenal job bringing historical footage into a story, telling a reenactment of two men's lives. The best part of the movie is when McEwen tells Prudhomme he was with me the whole time, showing him a picture. Prudhomme shakes his head and says me too, showing a different picture. McEwen went through a really hard time but he was resilient enough to bounce back once he accepted the fact that nothing more can be done.
The movie ends with the original interview of Prudhomme and McEwen in 1978 at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana. They also show extra footage from after they retired and were inducted into the motorsports hall of fame. They made it though some extremely rough times and are the backbone on which today's National Hot Rod Association was founded upon. -
wjones-5700628 October 2023This 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.
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adetunjiishola-879089 March 2020This movies based on racing sport, this story of Southern California drag racers, Don *The Snake* Prudhomme and Tom *The Mongoose* Go and watch the movies and see the best rider in both of them
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tinabugvi4 June 2022Too 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.
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crownsilver23 February 2020I love this movies very well. The acting is very incredible and up to the task can't love it less
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philipbone23 February 2020This movie based on the story of how Southern California drag racers, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen combined with corporate giants to change the face of sports and ultimately became the most famous rivalry in racing history.
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zeolitepro1 March 2020This is story of how Southern California drag racers, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen combined with corporate giants to change the face of sports and ultimately became the most famous rivalry in racing history. The movies is amazing one