Snake & Mongoose (2013) - ripper car movies

If you’re like me, you’d be aware of American drag racers Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme and Tom ‘The Mongoose’ McEwen, but I have to admit I didn’t know much about their life stories as they rose through the sport’s ranks in the latter half of the last century.

First published in the September 2023 issue of Street Machine

The pair were close mates and fierce rivals right from the get-go, and 2013’s Snake & Mongoose is a dramatised chronicle of their exploits between 1958 and 1978 – from Prudhomme (Jesse Williams) and McEwen’s (Richard Blake) humble beginnings in the sport in southern California, clawing their way to class wins despite almost insurmountable financial hurdles, through to Nationals wins and international acclaim.

The melding of Prudhomme’s staunch racing dedication with McEwen’s showmanship and promotional skills ultimately leads to the backing of Mattel big-wig Arthur Spear (Noah Wyle) and a lucrative Hot Wheels sponsorship in 1970. The deal – which includes the release of matching Hot Wheels cars – not only gives both drivers financial stability, it also thrusts drag racing into the mainstream and makes the pair household names.

While the racing is front and centre, the film leaves the track long enough to delve into the pair’s personal relationships with wives Lynn Prudhomme (Ashley Hinshaw) and Judy McEwen (Kim Shaw), and plenty of other legends of the sport are depicted, including Fred Dryer as engineering legend Ed Donovan, John Heard as NHRA founder Wally Parks, and Ian Ziering as engine guru Keith Black.

The whole thing flows like a dramatised documentary, and while the mismatch between modern film and archival racing footage might furrow your brow, it doesn’t cheapen the overall experience.

VERDICT: 4/5

All in all, Snake & Mongoose is a pretty solid flick and is definitely worth a watch, whether you’re a drag racing tragic in general, a fan of Prudhomme and McEwen in particular, a history buff, or a combination of all three.

It may have tanked at the box office due to its rather specific subject matter, but don’t let that dissuade you; it’s an entertaining and educational film with family-friendly appeal.