I don’t like car racing. I shouldn’t say it like that, but I don’t get it. I mean, I get it, the competitiveness, the speed, the colorful characters, the drama and high stakes. All very watchable. Yet, I rarely do. Not that I don’t have respect for what these people do and the passion most must have to commit themselves to such a life, it’s just I never really found the idea all that compelling. So it was, that I had very little interest in the 2019 James Mangold-directed film Ford v Ferrari. In fact, I basically refused to watch it, believing I’d only be wasting my time. Boy was that a dumb decision.
Thankfully, I was recently strong-armed into giving it a watch, and to my great surprise was absolutely floored by its end. This is a great movie, led by two terrific performances and Mangold’s outstanding direction. I want to make it clear before moving on though, that is sensational entertainment, and while it has lots of cars and lots of racing, it really not about them at all. And that magical combination, appealing so well to fans and non-fans makes this a unique breed.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The story is based on actual events, set in mid-1960s, when the Ford Motor Company isn’t doing so well. Company vice president Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) thinks buying Ferrari and participating in the world famous 24 hours of Le Mans race will boost their image, and hopefully, sales. However, Ferrari has another scheme in mind and when it’s over, Ford is not only without a new partnership, they’ve got an new adversary. Wanting now to build a car that can not only win Le mans but humiliate Ferrari, CEO Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) goes to car designer and former driver Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) for help, he having actually won Le Mans a few years prior.
Shelby accepts and convinces testy British driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to join, though he’s not favored by the higher-ups. Losing the driving spot, Miles is still committed to the project, wanting to build the fastest car eligible for the race. Setbacks occur but lessons are learned and soon enough Shelby and Miles are on their way to making one of the most dramatic runs in racing history. And Ferrari? Well, you’ll have to see the movie to find out?
REVIEW
I like this movie. A lot. I won’t try and fill this space with critical analysis and wordy stretches that try to explain why Mangold’s film works so well, mostly because I don’t need to. This is pure fun. Mangold and writers Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller hammer out a wildly entertaining thriller with as much heart in the characters as there is speed on the track. Damon may have found his best role to date, carrying the audience through the complexities of the story with a polished deftness that makes his version of Shelby sympathetic, emotional, and a guy you want to get behind.
But it’s really Bale’s show, no matter how good the rest of the cast is, delivering a creative spin on a man incredibly patient and driven while behind the wheel but like a powder keg everywhere else. It’s magnetic to watch, Bale completely soaked in what Miles is (and was), every single muscle he moves, every single word he says, keeping our eyes glued on what he’ll do next. Absolutely terrific stuff.
I should mention that cast again, as the likes of Ray McKinnon, Bernthal, and especially Caitriona Balfe are very strong in support. The movie does follow a standard formula and of course is playing a bit with history for the sake of drama and conservation of time. But that doesn’t matter. This is what movies are all about and whether you like cars going fast or not, Ford v Ferrari is a sure-fire winner.
THAT MOMENT IN
Having said all that about Bale, I will say that for me, the most effective moment in the movie does not have him actually in the scene (at least not all the much) although much of it is completely about his character. I’ll say there are spoilers ahead, but I don’t think it’s all that much of a surprise.
From the start, Miles is not the man Ford and company, especially from Senior Vice President Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas), who flatly says Miles will never be the driver. It’s a huge issue for Shelby, who knows that there is no one more qualified that Miles to drive the car he’s building. Miles has been crucial in the development and engineering of the GT40 MkII, being the one that risks his life on the testing track, learning what needs to be done to make it the best.
Frustrated by the politics and blindness of the Ford executives (minus a supportive Iacocca), Shelby sees an opportunity in a visit by Ford to the site. He manages to secure Beebe away from Ford for a moment, giving himself just enough time to invite Ford to take a seat in the passenger seat of the new car for a test drive. This is precisely what Beebe doesn’t want, believing Shelby might convince Ford to change their mind on Miles. However, while Shelby does offer his own company against Miles if he loses Le Mans, it is the GT40 MkII itself that does most of the talking.
Now, I’ve never been in a race car before. I’ve stood next to a few and been impressed, but never taken a ride. Ford climbs into the car with a similar attitude, impressed but inexperienced, saying that he was “born ready” to ride in a race car. “Hit it,” he says. Shelby does. He learns quickly that precision engineered race cars are not street vehicles, pressed into the seat the very moment Shelby touches the gas. It only gets worse from there as Shelby puts the car through its paces, speeding it along the track and through curves at its top speed. By the time he skids the car to a stop on the other side of the track, he has Ford’s full attention. Mostly because Ford is in an emotional state of collapse, weeping like a child.
WHY IT MATTERS
I can’t underestimate the impact of this moment as we watch the bulking, hulking Henry Ford II completely and utterly break down, seemingly losing all control of his senses. We feel this impact hit hard because up to this moment, Ford has been nothing but a tower of power in every scene he’s been in, his opening shot in fact establishing him has a commander with no place for pity.
What Letts does with this moment is greatly underappreciated. His ability to shift this character from one of immense social strength to that of a man totally soiled by fear, truth, and unchecked astonishment at what his people can create, is nothing short of perfection. It is the whole movie, the swing in the pendulum, and makes everything before and everything after all the more dramatic. It’s a great movie moment.