Ford v Ferrari Review
PG-13: For some language and peril
Runtime: 2 Hours and 32 Minutes
Production Companies: 20th Century Fox, Chernin Entertainment
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Director: James Mangold
Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Keller
Cast: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe, Remo Girone, Ray McKinnon
Release Date: November 15, 2019
American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and British racer/test driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) are enlisted by Henry Ford II’s (Tracy Lett) VP, Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal), to design a Ford race car for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans as a means to stick it to Enzo Ferrari and his company since they won every Le Mans race from 1960-65 and rejected their offer to be purchased by Ford. Shelby and Miles form a bond and begin to work together to design the car for the race.
Here he comes, here comes James Mangold, he’s a director on wheels. He’s a director and he’s gonna be directing someone. You probably read that in the tune of the Speed Racer theme because it’s what James Mangold’s latest feature, Ford V. Ferrari, reminded me of, which is fitting because this is based on a true story from the ‘60s.
If there is anything in this world that I find completely unentertaining it’s race cars. Yes, I did grow up playing with Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and even the toys from Pixar’s Cars, but when it comes to watching race cars... Nah. They never did it for me. I hate watching Nascar, I hate watching car commercials, I even hate all the Cars movies (except for 3. Cars 3 is good). So, prior to watching Ford v Ferrari, I was like Peter Parker when he was turning into dust.
Little did I expect for James Mangold to smash everything I knew about race car driving and make one of my personal favorites—if not THE definitive—race car films ever. For something that moves so fast, I always found them to be boring as hell, but goddamn does Mangold make them exciting.
It’s that time of year where Oscar-bait movies bear an exceedingly long runtime, but this year filmmakers are making them fast-paced with wit and comedy to make the overall product entertaining as hell. Just like The Irishman, Ford v Ferrari is a long-ass movie, but it goes by swiftly due to the strength of the performances and the crowd-pleasing script full of well-written comedy and drama.
Matt Damon is as Matt Damon as you could get. He provides a great deal of wisdom and charisma in his portrayal of Shelby. His Texan accent goes in and out ever so often and it lacks consistency where you just hear his regular distinguishable Matt Damon voice because he is:
Then, you have Christian Bale who steals the show with every single frame he’s in. It’s about damn time that we got a movie where Christian Bale gets to speak in his native English accent to remind us dumb Americans that he is, in fact, English. With that, he is larger than life, which is saying a lot given his filmography. This might be the first time where I’ve seen Bale get to have fun while he gives 100%. The man always functions at 100%, but here he’s also having a great time. He’s completely animated as racer Ken Miles, who I swear uses so many British terms, such as “a cup of tea” and “guvnor”, that I was expecting him to take off his mask and reveal himself to be Tim Curry because he was just one SMASHING away from going full Nigel Thornberry.
Ken Miles is the spotlight, the heart, and the core of this story. A lot of the best scenes feature Miles being a full-on diva. This is the sassiest Bale has ever been, for you have ample scenes of Ken Miles–who knows so much about cars, designs, motors, and engines more so than you would expect him to at first glance–savagely talking shit to people who try to challenge him and God they’re the best. He will cut ass on you, the car you drive in, and the company it’s manufactured by, and you can’t return his burns because he has the brains and the skills to fit the bills.
While they both deliver pleasant performances individually (with Bale stealing the show), I don’t think they are award-worthy by any means. But as far as onscreen chemistry, their dynamic, whenever Damon and Bale are together, is such *mwah* perfection. *Chef’s kiss*. They both have immaculate energy that rivals Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I loved watching these two together onscreen.
Now, a few side notes on the supporting cast:
Finally, Jon Bernthal is in a movie with more than 10 minutes of screen time. For the past few years, Bernthal has been the Minute Man, for he would be in movies for only a handful of minutes before suddenly disappearing (Baby Driver), dying (Widows), or appearing in flashbacks because he’s already dead (The Peanut Butter Falcon). It’s refreshing for him to have some screen time and prominence as he does here.
Only James Mangold could put Jon Bernthal and Tracy Letts in the same movie and have Letts be more intimidating than Bernthal. And Bernthal is a pretty intimidating dude. He is one of the most intimidating people I’ve seen on screen and it takes a special filmmaker to make Tracy Letts intimidating while Bernthal is submissive to his hostility. Tracy Letts is great here by the way. He’s more authoritative and menacing but has moments of vulnerability that are so human and precious. I haven’t seen him in much aside from The Lovers and Lady Bird (because he’s more of a theater actor and I don’t know much about theater), but he really impressed me here.
Aside from those aspects, what makes this stand out are the driving sequences and how well they’re crafted from both a cinematographer standpoint and editing. The majority of the driving sequences make you feel like you’re behind the wheel. It has framework that reminds me so much of the Wachowski’s Speed Racer movie (but I don’t really like that movie… I think. I don’t remember. It’s been so long), but it mileages the same kind of high speed velocity as the series and blends in some of the charming cheesiness of it. Wait, no, I redact that. Wacky Races. This movie is James Mangold’s Wacky Races. The narrative is built as so; the comical moments are indeed wacky and there is a lot of fun racing. Heck, it’s more fast and furious than most Fast and Furious movies, including this year’s spin-off, Hobbs and Shaw. It makes you wonder how a James Mangold Fast and Furious movie would go because, given how well-crafted this is from a production and technical standpoint, I’d be interested.
The 2 hours and 35 minutes are fast-paced, but when it slows down, you feel the length. The weakest scenes are the sequences of Ken Miles being a good dad to Honey Bo-- I mean, Noah Jupe who:
I keep forgetting is British!
Plays Bale’s son. (Seriously, good on Noah Jupe and Christian Bale, getting to use their native accents in an American production for once. You love to see it.)
The moments between Ken Miles and his son feel like they go on forever as they plant seeds, building itself up for a devastating finale. Speaking of which, the final 10 minutes or so, while emotionally resonant, feels tacked on. I’m not one to say you could easily give the Cliffs Notes version of the finale through text before the credits, but the way that Miles’ final moments are wrapped up feels like a visual Cliffs Notes more than a well-executed finale. It feels like an underdeveloped epilogue above all.
Films about racing and cars are usually crafted for a rather niche audience (excluding Fast and Furious of course), so I don’t typically enjoy them. However, Ford v Ferrari is an adrenaline-fueled joy ride relatable enough to keep you glued to the story. Matt Damon does a fine job, but Christian Bale truly shines as a sassy British racer whose genuine passion for cars is palpable enough to make you root for him so he can live his best life. Not one to be forgotten, Tracy Letts executes his Henry Ford II so brilliantly that he becomes a figure you simply love to hate.
James Mangold and the writing team managed to take a story about race cars and develop it into a solid narrative about teamwork, motivation, and passion. Sure, it runs a little long and it certainly weighs itself down in the finale, but it’s overall a good time loaded with incredible performances.
James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari is a fast-paced, crowd-pleasing adrenaline rush of a biopic with solid performances across the board and well-crafted Hollywood production. One of the best of the year? No, but it’s a fun little four-star feature.
