Everyone has a soft spot for a classic underdog story. And THIS one is at high speed.
‘Ford v Ferrari’ is a crowd-pleaser whether you’re a car lover or not. This tale that goes behind the scenes of the legendary 1966 showdown between Ford and Ferrari – two very, very different automakers – vying for the championship at 24 Hour of Le Mans, essentially the Super Bowl of endurance races, checks off almost every box for a ridiculously fun night at the movies. It emotionally connects, it sports enough of a vintage feel to satisfy those who come for the nostalgia, and it’s pretty darn exciting to boot.
Director James Mangold creates a beautiful playground for his two stars, who appear to be having an absolute blast; Matt Damon as Texan automotive designer Carrol Shelby, and Christian Bale who plays the short-fused British race car driver, Ken Miles. These two are battling buddies, and chew up the screen with their charming, scrappy banter. While ‘Ford v Ferrari’ is obviously stacked with slick racetrack thrills, the relationship between Shelby and Miles is the engine behind this vehicle, and it purrs.
If you’re familiar with this showdown, the synopsis is obvious. Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) has a big time grudge against Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone), as Ford’s calculated and pricey foray into endurance car racing has resulted in far from a win. After getting rejected (and insulted) on a buyout offer of his rival, Ford enlists Shelby and Miles (and a crack team of mechanics and engineers), who set out to do the near-impossible; build a race car able to beat Ferrari in the big race.
That’s really all you need to know. Some might accuse ‘Ford v Ferrari’ as being too paint-by-the-numbers in its presentation. But when the real-life story is so effective, ain’t nothing wrong with staying on track.
