Rob’s Car Movie Review: Snake & Mongoose (2013)

For as long as car movies have been made, which is to say virtually the entire history of Hollywood, one of the most continually visited sub-genres has been the racing movie.

Beginning with the 8-minute-long silent comedy, The Speed Kings, starring Fatty Arbuckle way back in 1913, audiences have always been entranced with the spectacle of auto racing on film, just as they are when attending actual live speed events.

As film technology became ever more advanced throughout the decades, so too did racing movies become more realistic, and by virtue of new cameras, mounting systems, and special effects techniques, all the more able to capture the speed, danger, and thrills of a motor racing event.

Some of the finest and most groundbreaking car movies, in fact, have been set within a racing milieu. There was John Frankenheimer’s melodramatic but intense look at Formula 1 in 1966’s Grand Prix; Steve McQueen’s labor of love, Le Mans, in 1971; and modern-day classics like Ron Howard’s 2013 epic Rush, as well as that other Le Mans based blockbuster, Ford v Ferrari, just a few years back.

Since I am a rabid fan of motor racing, I’m always on the lookout for films that depict the sport. Just recently, I stumbled upon a title that I never knew existed, but once having read the log line and synopsis, just knew would be perfect for a review in these pages. So for this month’s edition of Rob’s Car Movie Review, I present to you 2013’s Snake & Mongoose.

The theatrical one-sheet for 2013’s Snake & Mongoose. (All Images and photos courtesy of Rocky Mountain Pictures.)

Jointly produced by Entertainment Universe, Rhino Films and FarWord, Snake & Mongoose enjoyed a limited theatrical release in the United States that was handled by Rocky Mountain Pictures, while worldwide home video distribution was the domain of Anchor Bay Films.

The movie was helmed by a largely unknown and unseasoned director, Wayne Holloway, based on his own script, co-written by Alan Paradise.

Owing to the need for cars, personnel to maintain them, and large stunt, safety, and filming crews, racing movies can often get quite expensive. Snake & Mongoose cleverly managed to avoid a lot of the expense by relying on vintage footage of actual NHRA events instead of involved recreations and therefore got by on a shoestring budget of $3,000,000.

Jesse Williams as Don “The Snake” Prudhomme.

As such, the majority of that budget was spent securing a better-than-average cast for a film of its ilk, which included Jesse Williams, Richard Blake, Ashley Hinshaw, Kim Shaw, Noah Wyle, Ian Ziering, Fred Dryer, and John Heard.

The movie tells the story of pioneering drag racers Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen. Focusing on their often rocky, but deeply held friendship and professional partnership, the movie follows their ascension from the Southern California drag racing scene of the late 1950s, to reaching the pinnacle of the sport, which culminated in their legendary showdown at the 1978 NHRA U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Richard Blake as Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen.

At the beginning of the movie, Prudhomme (Williams) is working as a car painter at his family’s auto body shop in Burbank and racing rodded street cars and purpose-built dragsters on the weekend. A focused and determined fellow in a committed relationship with his high school sweetheart, Lynn (Hinshaw), Prudhomme takes his racing seriously and longs to elevate his station in life by becoming the world’s best drag racer.

Often finding himself up against McEwen (Blake), a perpetually unfaithful husband and party guy with an eye for wealth and fame, at the local drag strips, Prudhomme begrudgingly develops an uneasy relationship with the former, one that is anchored in respect for each other’s talents, but strained by their diametrically opposed attitudes and lifestyles.

Snake and Mongoose strike a partnership.

As the two men climb the drag racing ladder, they find that their on-track rivalry proves to be extremely popular with the fans. Ever the self-promoter, McEwen comes up with a scheme to send both of their careers into the stratosphere. They’ll adopt the nicknames of two of nature’s fiercest rivals, Prudhomme becoming “The Snake,” and McEwen adopting the alter-ego of “The Mongoose,” and pitch their rivalry to Mattel to get the toy giant to produce their race cars as Hot Wheels miniatures and sponsor both cars with corporate logos.

Mattel Chairman CEO Arthur Spear (Wyle) loves the idea and signs the two racers to a massive contract. As their personal fortunes and on-track exploits skyrocket to a previously unheard of echelon, the two men discover that all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold. Fame, money, danger, and life away from home threaten their friendship and family bonds, making both men question the wisdom of what is increasingly looking like a Faustian bargain.

Noah Wyle as Mattel Chairman and CEO, Arthur Spear.

Five minutes into Snake & Mongoose and its low-budget, b-movie status becomes readily apparent. Although many of the film’s technical facets are above average, such as the evocative cinematography, seamless editing, and very proficient set dressing and wardrobing, the ham-fisted dialogue, amateurish direction, and somewhat rushed first-act storytelling make it clear that this is no Kubrickian magnum opus.

While Jesse Williams is good enough as the thoughtful Prudhomme, Richard Blake’s performance as McEwen leans heavily towards the dreadful side, with his clownish take on the man and forced delivery hamstringing the movie. You simply can’t have a fully successful film when your co-lead is not believable.

Ashley Hinshaw is terrific as Lynn Prudhomme.

On the plus side, Ashley Hinshaw is absolutely luminous on screen, and injects both heart and strength of will into her portrayal of Prudhomme’s wife Lynn. It’s quite a change to see a female character in a male-dominated racing film being portrayed as the brains of the outfit instead of the typical cliched ornament worried about her husband’s safety.

Performances aside, the biggest issue with Snake & Mongoose is that for long stretches of the movie, there really isn’t much storytelling. Repetitive racing events are intercut with scenes of domestic difficulties and friendship issues between the two protagonists with no attendant cause-and-effect loops being created. Stuff happens, seems to be forgotten, and is never brought up again. It’s just a long, stream of consciousness recounting of actual events with no meaning, themes, or subplots emanating from them.

Sharp-eyed viewers will notice the real Snake and Mongoose in a cameo as track officials in one scene.

What’s more, while there is some character arcing in the movie, mostly evolving out of an on-track incident that makes Prudhomme reevaluate his life, and the loss of a child that alters McEwen’s direction, for the most part, they seem not to take much away from their journey, and thus the whole film comes off as pretty vapid. Perhaps I’m asking for a lot from a film of this ilk, but I can’t help recalling that in Ford v Ferrari, Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles undergo very relatable transformations that come out of their experiences.

Having elucidated the film’s major flaws, I must say it’s nonetheless a very watchable film, one that generates nostalgia for a simpler, bygone era of carbs and ignition timing versus todays sequential injection and PCMs. Which brings us to the best part of Snake & Mongoose: the cars.

Ah, the race cars…

Just about every custom dragster and funny car the pair ever raced is represented in the film, either in vintage footage or in the form of restored originals that inhabit the pits and garage sets that litter the film. From their early hot rods, to their tubular frame drag monsters, to their fiberglass-bodied funny cars, the movie is practically a 1960 and ‘70s NHRA car show.

Of particular importance are the original Hot Wheels-sponsored 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and Duster funny cars that the real Don Prudhomme had painstakingly restored in the 2000s, along with their matching transporters. Amazing to see those two iconic cars looking brand new.

As far as street cars are concerned, Snake and Mongoose also has a fantastic collection that litters virtually every shot in the movie. They include a gorgeous ’57 Chevy Bel Air convertible, a stunning red ’67 Camaro SS, a ’67 GTO, and in one sequence in Prudhomme’s family’s body shop, a ’67 Chevy Chevelle Malibu and a ’64 C2 Corvette both in the process of being restored.

Prudhomme drives this Ferrari 308 GTS late in the film.

Later in the film, Prudhomme is repeatedly seen driving an exquisite, Rosso Corsa Red 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS on the streets. For my money though, the star street car of the film is a 1966 Shelby GT350H, looking resplendent in non-original Sapphire Blue with gold racing stripes.

Quite a Shelby, even if the paint isn’t correct.

All in all, Snake & Mongoose isn’t an awful film. In fact, at times it is fairly entertaining. What it lacks is a certain cohesiveness and something to say for itself. I couldn’t help but think several times while watching it that with a spit polish on the script and in the hands of a seasoned director, the movie could have been so much more. As it is though, I can only give Snake and Mongoose six out of ten pistons.

About the author

Rob Finkelman

Rob combined his two great passions of writing and cars; and began authoring columns for several Formula 1 racing websites and Street Muscle Magazine. He is an avid automotive enthusiast with a burgeoning collection of classic and muscle cars.
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