The true story of Preston Tucker, who sought to change America
with his new car concept, but was challenged by the auto industry. BIOPIC/DRAMA
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Tucker: The Man
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Every driver in the world should thank their lucky stars for Preston Tucker, and I bet most of you don't even know why. Tucker came up with a revolutionary car design in the late 1940's and though his Tucker Torpedo was shut down by the Detroit auto industry, his safety concepts eventually caught on and were adopted by every car company. Concepts like shatterproof glass and seat belts. Tucker was an American dreamer who thought he could change the world by designing the car of the future. What he didn't count was the Big Three, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, who saw Tucker as a threat to the status quo and promptly tried to ruin his reputation and shut down his company.
Jeff Bridges portrays Tucker, and what a performance it is. Bridges has always had this air of charm about him that makes the audience want to root for him. For an underdog like Tucker, this charm elevates his performance and makes the man as likable and as pleasant as possible. You want him to succeed, mostly because he really is trying to do the right thing and wants to make a car that keeps people safe and looks good doing it. The fact that the auto industry wanted to stop that makes them look like dangerous fools. Tucker: The Man and His Dream is a film that I only recently learned about, mostly because it was impossible to find until just a month ago. It's a film that captures the essence of the American dream and shows how one man can shape the future if he has the will to do so. The Tucker car still exists, though there are only a handful left. The car survived over 70 years after the factory was shut down. The movie has survived 30 and deserves to be seen by more people. |