Ford v. Ferrari is a new twist on a tale as old as time. Tale as old as time meaning it is a classic portrayal of an underdog going up against a behemoth – you should be rooting for the underdog, but it’s not as black and white as other stories to be told. In this case, it is Ford v. Ferrari – but the corporate greed surrounding Ford’s motive’s make it hard to actually root for them as a company – however, Bale’s superb performance as the Ford driver eventually wins you over.
Ford v. Ferrari is a good movie – it is also a long movie. Based on a true story, the movie’s runtime approximately 2 hours and 32 minutes and it is exciting for the last 1 hour and 30 minutes. While the first hour sets the scene for the race, it is also anti-climactic and plods along. After all, we came for a race movie and these by far are the most exciting scenes and they were great! It’s not easy to film a supposed 24-hour race where all cars do is circle around a track, but Director James Mangold pulled it off twice and managed to keep audiences engaged until the very end – people even erupted into applause in the theatre.
Setting the Scene:
Ford, the American Motor Company, is struggling to remain relevant in the late 1960s as they begin competing more heavily with foreign manufacturers such as Fiat and ….you guessed it Ferrari. Ferrari had been perfecting cars for the past three decades, creating the fastest and most stylish cars. But after perfecting their craft over the years, Ferrari was on the verge of bankruptcy and with new generations starting to favor the popular European cars over the American-made Ford – Ford was feeling pressure to buy. Coming to Ferrari with an offer to buy their company – Ford made an offer that one thought Ferrari couldn’t refuse, but they did saying "Ford makes ugly little cars, in ugly little factories" – a swift slam of the door and the finger is probably more accurate
As Ford is accused of mass producing “boring” cars, they want revenge and the best way they can get it is through a race against Ferrari at the Le Mans 24-Hour Circuit in France. Ferrari had won the past 5 years and Ford was determined to beat them whatever the cost – then comes the exciting part – the race.
The Characters:
Starring Matt Damon as Caroll Shelby and Christian Bale as Ken Miles – both performances have you rooting for each of the characters in their own lanes. Damon stars as Shelby, a retired Race Car Driver who works with Ford to design their car (s). With many failed attempts in queue, Damon works with Ford and Bale to create a car that was able to not just run 24-hours, but last. Christian Bale stars as Ken Miles, a loud-mouthed, hot-headed race car driver who teams up with Damon to drive the Ford designed car in the Le Mans.
The whole event is sponsored by Henry Ford’s son, Henry Ford II, who is only looking to capitalize on the success of the Le Mans and sees it only as a marketing endeavor for generated American Motor Publicity. Damon and Bale’s characters are constantly at odds with the Ford Corporation and their Marketing Team – which highlights corporate greed in a visual form. This is where it is hard to actually root for Ford to win – but Bale’s determination and reserve lets audience look past the corporation and just see the racer and the car.
The final scenes at the Le Mans circuit are gripping and thrilling and are shot beautifully by Mangold. A definite win and worth the time investment!
The Race:
Best Director:
After first screenings at Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals – everyone had been talking about James Mangold as Best Director – after a sweeping weekend and critically acclaimed reviews, a Best Director Oscar Nomination seems to be a sure thing.
Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor:
One of the more popular conversations after original screenings, it has been debated back and forth which lane will feature Bale and Damon. After seeing the movie, it would see Damon would go Supporting Route and Bale with Lead – but they could be flipped. This has a common theme this year – with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, it was debated which actor would receive the Lead/Supporting Nomination in that space as well. (It is likely the Leo will earn Lead and Pitt will earn Supporting).
Best Picture:
Yes, this movie is Oscar-bait, and will be nominated in the category for Best Picture. Th Academy loves these type of films and will follow suit in the 2020 Race….it seems.
El De Rating: 8/10
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