Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) is a brilliant designer of fast and nimble cars for both the street and racing, but he’s facing financial trouble. Ken Miles (Christian Bale) is a prickly but talented race car driver. He also has money problems as the IRS has confiscated his repair garage for back taxes. The Ford Motor Company, at the suggestion of executive Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal), attempts to buy Ferrari from founder Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone), but the offer is rejected. Iacocca then approaches Carroll Shelby about developing a race team, using Ford engines, to take on the dominance of Ferrari on road courses including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Shelby insists on having Miles as his driver, but Ford executive Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas) pushes back as he considers Miles a “beatnik” and not a team player.
Don’t let the trailer for “Ford v. Ferrari” scare you off from this film. It looks like a dull docudrama about gear heads v. the evil Italians. To an extent it is as tense looks get passed back and forth during the final showdown at Le Mans during the climactic race scene, but the true battle is between a couple of racing legends and the suits in Detroit afraid their precious image might get a little grease on it. “Ford v. Ferrari” could have been called “Ford v. Shelby and Miles” as there’s a battle of wits and personalities raging behind the scenes as the pair and their team build a car from the ground up to do battle at Le Mans. Also, it’s best not to look anything up about this film as it has a few surprises in it a quick Wikipedia search would reveal. Go in with as little information as possible to get maximum enjoyment from this very good film.
The standout from “Ford v. Ferrari” is Christian Bale as Ken Miles. He’s a dynamo whenever he’s on screen and the film sorely misses him when he’s not. Bale give Miles the energy of a whirling dervish when he’s driving or in the garage trying to improve his car. But Miles also has a softer side that shows up when he’s at home with his wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and son Peter (Noah Jupe). The relationship between father and son is particularly touching as Ken is a patient, attentive and loving parent. Despite the pressure he’s under, Ken has time to answer his son’s questions and give him the attention the boy clearly wants from his hero. The scenes with Ken in the car are fun as he talks to the machine, giving it praise and asking for more speed or torque or whatever it is he feels he needs more of. He pleads for the car to hold together when he pushes it near the end of a race. As played by Bale, Miles treats the car like a person, a lover, a friend. I could watch an entire film of Miles urging, cajoling and complimenting his car as he drives it around a track, either in testing or in a race. Bale may get another Oscar nod for this performance.
Matt Damon’s Carroll Shelby is a good old boy with the fire of competition burning under the surface. While it might look like Damon isn’t doing much acting, he is giving Shelby the calm veneer of someone that knows how to play the game, despite despising the need to play it. Damon delivers a scene at the end of the film that lets you know just how good he is. It’s subtle and measured and it will break your heart. I won’t say more than that, but it is a master class in acting anyone wanting to get in the business should watch. Shelby isn’t the flashiest character, but he is the yin to Miles’ yang. Without the two of them together, there’s no story about which to make a film.
The whole cast is great, and I feel I should give a special shout out to the person given the unenviable task of being the bad guy: Josh Lucas. Lucas plays Ford executive Leo Beebe. Beebe has a bug in his bonnet about looks and how the appearance of the outspoken Miles will reflect on the Ford brand. He really doesn’t like Miles because he can’t and won’t be controlled and follow the company line. Lucas doesn’t give a “twirling mustache” villain performance. Beebe is far more slick and subtle. He ingratiates himself with the boss, Henry Ford, II (Tracy Letts), and presents his arguments so Ford believes they’re his ideas. It’s the kind of influence I can see the serpent having on Eve in the Garden of Eden. Lucas is only marginally detestable as Beebe, and you can almost understand his reasoning. Ford is quick to anger and quick to fire those that disappoint him. Beebe is trying to protect his position and the image of the company. The film is set in the mid 1960’s. Statements today we would consider only mildly controversial could create at the time much more damage to a brand like Ford, which was in a sales slump. While Beebe is a slimy backstabber, you can understand why he’s the way he is.
The film takes the racing very seriously, filming it with an urgency that feels like it has real consequences. The action is shot from inside, in front of and behind the cars, giving the viewer a 360-degree view of the action. It feels dangerous as we hear the engine roar, see the exhaust smoke, watch the brakes glow under the strain of racing around a track and trying to avoid a crash. It’s a visceral experience that few other sports films have been able to replicate.
“Ford v. Ferrari” is rated PG-13 for some language and peril. There are some wrecks shown, a couple are fiery. There is also a scene where Miles is in a car with his wife, she’s driving, and they are having an argument. She decides to drive recklessly to prove a point. Foul language is scattered and mild.
There isn’t anything not to like about “Ford v. Ferrari.” While the running time of two and a half hours may seem daunting (plan your fluids), the quality of the film will make it feel much shorter. The film is exactly the right length, ending before it wears out its welcome. Damon, Balfe, Jupe, Letts, Lucas and Bale, who steals the movie, turn in top notch performances without any of the characters feeling created for the story. They feel like real people being filmed for a documentary. While some of the facts and people are embellished or combined, “Ford v. Ferrari” stays very close to the reality of the story. It even manages to pull off a few surprises along the way will still feeling familiar and comfortable. That’s a balancing act that’s difficult to pull off.
“Ford v. Ferrari” gets five guitars.
For December, we’ll celebrate the end of a 42-year saga with “
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
.”
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