Ford v Ferrari

A biography on American underdogs from a blue-collar industry with notable actors, an impressive production team, and an inspiring story; did someone say Oscars? Whatever its intent, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ is an impressive biopic that rarely strays from its path. A melding of entertainment and creativity, this should be considered both a commercial and critical success. Fire up your engine and race to the cinema to catch this film that everyone’s sure to be talking about.

• Charlie David Page

Read Charlie's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-ford-v-ferrari-a-racing-biopic-thats-right-on-track

I'd have preferred to see Michael Mann's version, but this is an impressive and heartfelt study of friendship and triumph

Next year, Ferrari's ass is mine.

• Carroll Shelby, after losing to Ferrari in the 1964 World Sports Car Championship

To take control of this materialised energy, to draw the reins over this monster with its steel muscles and fiery heart - there is something in the idea which appeals to an almost universal sense, the love of power.

• A.J. Baime; Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans (2009)

In 2015, a long-gestating project was announced as entering pre-production – based on Brock Yates's 1991 book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the film was tentatively called Enzo Ferrari and was to be written, produced, and directed by Michael Mann (Heat; The Insider; Ali). A long-time racing fan, Mann had been trying to bring Ferrari's story to the screen since the book was published (in 1992 it was reported that Robert De Niro was circling the role and Mann would begin shooting right after he completed work on The Last of the Mohicans), but in 2015, things seemed to finally be moving ahead. Christian Bale was cast as Ferrari and Noomi Rapace as his mistress, Lina Lardi. And then, nothing. Time passed and no more was heard until 2017, when it was announced that Bale had dropped out and been replaced by Hugh Jackman. And again, nothing. In the meantime, a different film was greenlighted – an adaptation of A.J. Baime's 2009 book, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans. Set to star Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, it was to be written by Jason Keller (Machine Gun Preacher; Mirror Mirror; Escape Plan) and directed by Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy; Oblivion; Only the Brave). That version of the project never got off the ground, but in 2018, it was announced that James Mangold (Cop Land; Girl, Interrupted; Logan) had signed...

I never expected a sports film, let alone one based on a true story, to impress me so damn much. James Mangold offers one of the best, if not the best sports movie ever. With award-worthy performances from both Christian Bale and Matt Damon, Ford v Ferrari (aka Le Mans ‘66) has characters so exceptionally-written and so emotionally compelling that I felt like crying by the end of the film. The races are riveting and entertaining, but it’s the beautiful screenplay that gets me. Definitely, one of the movies of the year!

Rating: A+

I think Ford v Ferrari suffers from mismarketing. I don't mean that it was poorly marketed, and that the trailers made it look bad or anything. Just that it was marketed inaccurately. When I was keeping myself abreast of this project, it seemed very much that the insinuation was that the movie would be a battle between Bale's and Damon's respective characters. That this would essentially be the run-through of the whole film, and the climax would feature one emerging victorious over the other. In actual fact, the opposite is true. Ford v Ferrari is largely about the friendship and partnership of those two characters. An occasionally rugged, and one occasion even violent friendship, but a friendship nonetheless. Even the title is misleading. I suppose Ford does v Ferrari at a couple of points over the movie's runtime, but it's not what Ford v Ferrari is about. In fact, Ferrari barely features in the movie at all. Here's the kicker though: I actually liked what this thing ended up being, more than I think I would have enjoyed a movie that really did revolve around Bale actually versing Damon, or one about Ford actually versing Ferrari.

Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go.

Well made sports-racing movie with excellent acting by Damon and Bale (no surprise there) and the racing sequences were great, not to mention the sound design. Kind of was concerned there wouldn't be enough story to fill the nearly 2.5 hour runtime, but this kept me engaged, though the ending was a bit anticlimactic. Still, good work from James Mangold. 4.5/5

Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/IByQpyGV9Lg

Despite not being a big fan of track car racing - I’m more of a rally man - the chance to see Matt Damon and Christian Bale lead in a true life story attracted me to Ford v Ferrari. It’s a very good movie that tells the tale of the development of Ford’s race program to topple Ferrari as the champions of Le Mans.

Here’s the official description:

American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

I’ll say up front that even though Ferrari is mentioned in the title, they don’t really play a huge part in the movie. I was expecting things to bounce between each camp as they tried to one up each other in the race for glory. While Ferrari are here and there throughout, the main battle of the movie is Shelby and Miles trying to get their work done amidst the interference from factions within Ford’s management.

It still makes for a great story though, and it’s a movie that takes you on a ride of many highs and lows. From technological failures and success, to corporate shenanigans, to father-son moments, this hits so many beats that it kept us entertained the whole way through. Not only does it hit them, it does them very very well. There were some moments where I was genuinely holding my breath. It’s great stuff.

Even from a technical point of view there is a lot to love about this. The cinematography was a stand out for me - some of the sunset shots were stunning, as were the very intense race sequences. I’m sure there’s CGI all through this but it was of such a good quality that it was barely noticeable.

Damon and Bale are outstanding and lead from the front, with Bale in particular seeming to i...

Exactly what you'd expect from a movie featuring Led Zeplin in its trailer (+1 star for Christian Bale's compelling performance).

Overall : The captivating story of Ford v Ferrari is incredible unto itself, but powerful performance and outstanding directing elevate its rich story to masterful heights.

The fascinating and inspiring story of the Ford Motor Company's first venture into racing. Even with no interest in racing or cars, Ford v Ferrari mesmerizes from beginning to end. Even with incredible performances from Bale and Damon, gritty effects and storytelling, and exceptional camerawork, the true history of Ford v Ferrari is the most compelling piece of this remarkable film. James Mangold's directing took each element of this extraordinary story and made it tangible and stirring. The grit and passion Bale's Ken Miles poured into his art of racing genuinely touched and inspired me. Ford v Ferrari is a premier historical drama and racing film.

Liked this guy! I guess hard to go wrong with two such great actors (I'm especially a fan of Bale). Appreciated that the ending wasn't some classic everything-ends-up-working-out.