Ford v. Ferrari review

FORD V. FERRARI: 

HIGH-OCTANE RACING ACTION, BUT EVENED OUT WITH A GRIPPING STORY, PHENOMENAL ACTING, AND HEARTFELT DRAMA! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX

Christian Bale and Matt Damon in Ford v. Ferrari

            The automobile war is on in Ford v. Ferrari, the new film directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line, The Wolverine, Logan) and based on the true story of how Ford Motor Company singlehandedly defeated Ferrari at the 1966 24-hour Le Mans race. The film stars Christian Bale (The Dark Knight trilogy, The Fighter, Vice) and Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, Bourne franchise, The Martian) as cocky British racecar driver Ken Miles and American automotive designer and engineer Carroll Shelby joining forces to build a Ford racecar fast enough to leave Ferrari in the dust in one of the most legendary rivalries of all time. 

            Despite not being an enthusiast of motorsports, I was hyped for this movie and it looked very promising from the trailers. Both Matt Damon and Christian Bale are two of my favorite actors and director James Mangold already won me over with Walk the Line, the 2007 remake of 3:10 to Yuma, and Logan, so if Ford v. Ferrari turned ended up being terrible, I would have been very sad…luckily that is not the case.

            Ford v. Ferrari is one of the best racing films and biopics I’ve seen in a long time and continues to show Mangold’s capabilities as a director. The racing sequences are exhilarating and well shot, the story is fascinating and evens out the race with very effective drama, and the acting is stellar and some of Bale and Damon’s best work, which is saying a lot. 

            In 1963, the Ford Motor Company is on the brink of bankruptcy while Ferrari dominates in car sales because of their participation in racing. After Enzio Ferrari (Remo Girone-Captain Fracassa’s Journey, Black Sun, Live by Night) walks out of a deal from Ford to purchase Ferrari, Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts-Elvis & Nixon, Lady Bird, The Post) decides that Ford will enter the racing division and build a car fast enough to beat Ferrari.

            In comes Shelby Automobiles owner Carroll Shelby (Damon) and hot-tempered British racer Ken Miles (Bale) who are hired by Ford to construct and test the car just in time for the 1966 24-hour Le Mans race in France. Along the way Shelby and Miles must battle corporate interferences, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons while building a game-changing racecar for Ford and leave the dominating company Ferrari in the dust. 

            The film also stars Jon Bernthal (The Punisher (Netflix series), Baby Driver, Widows) as Lee Iacocca, Caitriona Balfe (Super 8, Now You See Me, Outlander) as Mollie Miles, Josh Lucas (American Psycho, A Beautiful Mind, The Lincoln Lawyer) as Leo Beebe, Noah Jupe (Wonder, A Quiet Place, Honey Boy) as Peter Miles, Ray McKinnon (Apollo 13, The Net, O Brother Where Art Thou?) as Phil Remington, JJ Feild (Centurion, Captain America: The First Avenger, Austenland) as Roy Lunn, Jack McMullen (Waterloo Road, Brookside, Grange Hill) as Charlie Agapiou, Benjamin Rigby (Lion, Alien: Covenant, Godzilla VS Kong) as Bruce McLaren, and professional racecar driver Alex Gurney as his real-life father Dan Gurney. 

            Overall, Ford v. Ferrari revs up the engine of thrilling racing action but also has a lot of effective human drama under the hood to keep you invested. It honors the legacy of the real people who were involved but is still an entertaining movie even if you don’t know the actual story. 

            My knowledge of the real event is rather hazy though I recall hearing about it during school once, judging by other reviews and articles about the film, it seems that Ford v. Ferrari is mostly accurate though I get the feeling there are certain things they did just for the movie. The inaccuracies if any do not ruin the enjoyment of the movie or the legacy of the people who were involved in the actual race. 

            The performances are phenomenal and some of the best Matt Damon and Christian Bale acting I’ve seen in a while. They’re both giving a million percent whenever they’re on-screen (Especially Bale) and pretty much polar opposites of each other, Damon is basically the straight man of the duo and focuses on the technical and business aspects of constructing the car and keeping Miles in check meanwhile Bale is an eccentric, vulgar driver with a heart of gold, he literally “drives the movie home” and is worth at least an Oscar nomination. 

            Not only do they work well as business partners, but I could buy Damon and Bale’s characters as friends. When they’re not racing or working on the car, they’re drinking beers, shooting the sh*t, cracking jokes, and also sharing wholesome and heartfelt moments regarding their loved ones, particularly Miles’ family, the scenes of them simply talking never drag the movie in any way and are just as entertaining to watch and listen to as the races.

            Speaking of which, the race sequences are absolutely thrilling and are executed very well with the stunt work, camera shots, speed, and energy, it looks big and epic when watching it in a theater. Who would have thought the guy who directed the most depressing X-Men movie of all time could also direct some pretty damn impressive race sequences?

            Whether a fan of motorsports or not, Ford v. Ferrari should be high on your priority and has everything that makes a great biopic. A narrative that’s accurate to the events, top-notch actors bringing the people involved to life, excellent directing, and as a whole the film honors the real-life people while still being an entertaining movie in and of itself, buckle up and see for yourself.