Ford v Ferrari Review
Who would have thought a film about a sport so boring could actually be one of the most fun film experiences of 2019?
I want to start this review by saluting director James Mangold and his ability to make films across a number of different genres. This guy has made films that are so diverse and so different from one another, ranging from Logan (2017), to Walk the Line (2005), to Girl, Interrupted (1999). His latest film – Ford v Ferrari (or Le Mans ’66 if you’re from the UK) – is another exciting addition to his already impressive filmography.
This film, straight up, is just really good. I caught it on IMAX and it was a genuinely fun time. Now, I’ll confess – I’ve never seen any of the draw in racing and, even after this film, I still have little interest in checking it out at all – but, Ford v Ferrari is able to pull in neutrals or non-fans of the sport in an engaging way. The film is about the Ford motor company wanting to put out a racing car to win the 24 hour race of Le Mans and beat the mighty and dominant Ferrari.
It’d be rude to not start with the obvious – Matt Damon and Christian Bale. These two are on fire in this film from start to finish. I’m a superfan of Bale and think he’s arguably a top ten actor to ever live, but Damon was phenomenal in this film. Damon plays Texan, Carroll Shelby, a former Le Mans champion turned designer and engineer. Whilst Bale plays the British race car driver, Ken Miles. I thought the supporting cast were really good, especially Tracy Letts and Josh Lucas, but Bale and Damon are the film. Their chemistry is electric and their characters feed into one another in such an organic and non-contrived way. Any banter or dialogue between the two always served a purpose, and that made their interactions more meaningful.
The rumours going around are that Fox Studios has entered both Damon and Bale into the Best Actor race. This is complete lunacy, I’m afraid. It would’ve been completely reasonable for them to enter Damon for Best Actor and Bale for Best Supporting Actor. But, with an already stacked field – you fear they will steal votes off each other and neither will get nominated. I really hope I’m wrong. If I had to put money on it, I’d say Matt Damon gets nominated for probably his best performance since Good Will Hunting (1997). Damon’s character, Shelby, has balls and is a fiercely determined individual. He gives a performance that we aren’t used to seeing from him. Whereas for Bale, whilst still amazing, we have seen him play eccentric or out there characters before.
Like any good sports movie, this movie isn’t just about the sport but rather the background dynamics at play. I was fascinated with how this film looks at the notion of legacy and personal history. Henry Ford II, and indeed the Ford Motor Company, are rich in history and those who are interested can read into this family in more detail. But for Henry Ford II, he must live up to the vast shadow cast by his grandfather and founder of the company, Henry Ford I. With an image that is dwindling and a reputation of being mass producers in the Second World War effort, Ford is at risk of falling behind to Ferrari.
We also see how in humongous corporations such as Ford or Ferrari, there are internal politics and ridiculous levels of bureaucracy. Although Shelby is given the task of building a team to beat Ferrari, he is constantly having to report to or take orders from men in suits. How he negotiates or navigates through these challenges was an interesting part of this film.
Of course, the driving and racing itself was a major part of Ford v Ferrari. These scenes were brilliantly filmed and hearing those cars zip around the race course was fun as hell. The thing I liked about this film was that I’d always thought that a race car driver would be talking or screaming to himself because of all the adrenaline. And, yep, Bale does that in this film – which made me weirdly satisfied. The visual effects and sound effects/mixing were phenomenal and somehow make this quite an immersive experience.
Ford v Ferrari is a fun time for all types of cinema-goers. It’s entertaining and, although it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it has a compelling story on and off the race course. Bale and Damon are two brilliant actors who carry the film with brilliant performances that one can only be hopeful will be recognised come Oscars time. If you get a chance to – see this is on IMAX as this is the type of film meant for the biggest possible screen and loudest possible speakers.