FORD v FERRARI
***
Director: James Mangold
Screenwriters: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller.
Principal cast:
Matt Damon
Christian Bale
Tracy Letts
Josh Lucas
John Bernthal
Remo Girone
Country: USA/France
Classification: M
Runtime: 152 mins.
Australian release date: 14 November 2019
Previewed at: Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney on 8 November 2019.
Similar to that other car-racing film from 2013, Rush, James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari is the story of a famous rivalry but, whereas Ron Howard’s movie told of the on-track rivalry between two great drivers, Niki Lauda and James Hunt, this one is about the rivalry of two great automobile manufacturers, the Ford Motor Company of America and Ferrari of Italy. Set in the early 1960s, when Ferrari dominated world racing tracks, it’s the story of Ford’s desire to make its brand popular with the newly identified demographic group called ‘teenagers’, kids who were affluent and able to drive but who didn’t want to drive what their dads drove. Ford needed to be cool, so they turned to a retired racing driver to design the GT40 and win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, a tough competition that Ferrari traditionally won, year after year.
In the movie’s prologue, we learn that US racer Carrol Shelby (Matt Damon) had won the 1959 Le Mans race behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DBR1 but had been forced to retire from racing because of congenital heart problems. He was running his own vehicle customisation/design company when he was approached by Ford’s Lee Iacocca (John Bernthal) with the idea of designing a car that could take on Ferrari. Agreeing, he said he knew just the right man to drive it, Ken ‘Bulldog’ Miles (Christian Bale), an English driver hailing from Birmingham. Miles wasn’t known to be a team player but he was brilliant behind the wheel, able to sense when some part of the car needed improvement or adjustment. When Ford Senior Vice President Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas) was put in charge of the racing team, he and Miles immediately clashed and Shelby had to risk everything to convince Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) to keep Miles in the team. It was a risk worth taking.
Damon is very good as the solid, dependable Shelby, a man who had great faith in Miles but had to stand between him and Ford repeatedly to keep the project going. Delivering his lines in a slow Texan drawl, he is the straight man to Bale’s somewhat manic, hot-tempered ‘Brummie.’ Bale’s performance comes over as too mannered until you get used to it; his northern accent seems all over the place at first and his gait and leading chin appear exaggerated. He softens, though, when surrounded by his wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and young son Peter (Noah Jupe) and, apparently, this is a pretty accurate representation of the real Miles. Bales has always done intensive research for his roles and he has based his portrayal on a close reading of newsreel and archival footage that he studied for the part. Veteran Italian actor Remo Girone is significant in a small but crucial role as Enzo Ferrari.
Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller’s screenplay is very ‘Boy’s Own’ and dripping in testosterone (Miles’ wife is the only female character of note) but is probably not too far-fetched in this high-octane environment. Where Ford v Ferrari really kicks in is during the racing scenes; the camera placement and angles are terrific, putting you in the cars with the drivers. Mangold’s director of photography Phedon Papamichael has worked with him on a number of his previous films and, this time, they opted for a traditional look that wouldn’t require a lot of CGI. “Our visual inspiration came more from the films of the ’60s and ’70s, rather than contemporary interpretations of race car films - no exaggerated movement, keeping it intimate with the use of close-ups and always maintaining a character’s point-of-view,” explains Papamichael. “We tried to stick to camera techniques of the period.” It’s a style that serves the film well.
Ford v Ferrari is good entertainment for much of its length but, ultimately, its length becomes a problem and the film’s denouement feels drawn out. It’s like the editors (there are three credited) couldn’t decide what to leave out and, thus, left too much in. Regrettably, Mangold’s movie runs out of gas before the last lap is over.
Screenwriters: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller.
Principal cast:
Matt Damon
Christian Bale
Tracy Letts
Josh Lucas
John Bernthal
Remo Girone
Country: USA/France
Classification: M
Runtime: 152 mins.
Australian release date: 14 November 2019
Previewed at: Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney on 8 November 2019.
Similar to that other car-racing film from 2013, Rush, James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari is the story of a famous rivalry but, whereas Ron Howard’s movie told of the on-track rivalry between two great drivers, Niki Lauda and James Hunt, this one is about the rivalry of two great automobile manufacturers, the Ford Motor Company of America and Ferrari of Italy. Set in the early 1960s, when Ferrari dominated world racing tracks, it’s the story of Ford’s desire to make its brand popular with the newly identified demographic group called ‘teenagers’, kids who were affluent and able to drive but who didn’t want to drive what their dads drove. Ford needed to be cool, so they turned to a retired racing driver to design the GT40 and win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, a tough competition that Ferrari traditionally won, year after year.
In the movie’s prologue, we learn that US racer Carrol Shelby (Matt Damon) had won the 1959 Le Mans race behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DBR1 but had been forced to retire from racing because of congenital heart problems. He was running his own vehicle customisation/design company when he was approached by Ford’s Lee Iacocca (John Bernthal) with the idea of designing a car that could take on Ferrari. Agreeing, he said he knew just the right man to drive it, Ken ‘Bulldog’ Miles (Christian Bale), an English driver hailing from Birmingham. Miles wasn’t known to be a team player but he was brilliant behind the wheel, able to sense when some part of the car needed improvement or adjustment. When Ford Senior Vice President Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas) was put in charge of the racing team, he and Miles immediately clashed and Shelby had to risk everything to convince Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) to keep Miles in the team. It was a risk worth taking.
Damon is very good as the solid, dependable Shelby, a man who had great faith in Miles but had to stand between him and Ford repeatedly to keep the project going. Delivering his lines in a slow Texan drawl, he is the straight man to Bale’s somewhat manic, hot-tempered ‘Brummie.’ Bale’s performance comes over as too mannered until you get used to it; his northern accent seems all over the place at first and his gait and leading chin appear exaggerated. He softens, though, when surrounded by his wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and young son Peter (Noah Jupe) and, apparently, this is a pretty accurate representation of the real Miles. Bales has always done intensive research for his roles and he has based his portrayal on a close reading of newsreel and archival footage that he studied for the part. Veteran Italian actor Remo Girone is significant in a small but crucial role as Enzo Ferrari.
Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller’s screenplay is very ‘Boy’s Own’ and dripping in testosterone (Miles’ wife is the only female character of note) but is probably not too far-fetched in this high-octane environment. Where Ford v Ferrari really kicks in is during the racing scenes; the camera placement and angles are terrific, putting you in the cars with the drivers. Mangold’s director of photography Phedon Papamichael has worked with him on a number of his previous films and, this time, they opted for a traditional look that wouldn’t require a lot of CGI. “Our visual inspiration came more from the films of the ’60s and ’70s, rather than contemporary interpretations of race car films - no exaggerated movement, keeping it intimate with the use of close-ups and always maintaining a character’s point-of-view,” explains Papamichael. “We tried to stick to camera techniques of the period.” It’s a style that serves the film well.
Ford v Ferrari is good entertainment for much of its length but, ultimately, its length becomes a problem and the film’s denouement feels drawn out. It’s like the editors (there are three credited) couldn’t decide what to leave out and, thus, left too much in. Regrettably, Mangold’s movie runs out of gas before the last lap is over.