While many of us are excited about Ron Howard's “Rush” coming to theaters on Sept. 20, another true-to-life story about drag racers Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen comes out two weeks earlier on Sept. 6.
“Snake and Mongoose” tells the story of the two men who revolutionized entertainment sports marketing on the drag strip in the '60s and '70s. Prudhomme was a seven-time NHRA U.S. Nationals winner and four-time NHRA World Champion, while McEwen only won five races over his 45 year career, but his showmanship made him one of the biggest in the sport.
The pair of Southern Californian men competed for years on the strip. But it was when they partnered with Mattel's Hot Wheels that corporate sponsorship changed forever: It allowed Snake and Mongoose to buy the best parts and stick them on the best chassis with the most expensive tires. In today's world, you can't race without loads of corporate sponsorship money. The Snake and the Mongoose are to thank for that, for better or worse.
The film is directed by Wayne Holloway, and written by Holloway and Alan Paradise. Jesse Williams (“The Cabin in the Woods,” “Brooklyn's Finest”) plays The Snake and Richard Blake (“Dragonball: Evolution) plays the Mongoose. Other stars include Noah Wiley, Ashley Hinshaw, Ian Ziering and John Heard, who plays Wally Parks.
