American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford and challenge Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
In the early 1960s, Ford was struggling. Its image wasn’t one that people bragged about. Ford Motor Company was seen as a blemish on the car industry, one that didn’t produce quality, it produced quantity. In order to help alleviate this issue, the plan was to purchase a large stock of Ferrari in order to combine bright minds and create a vehicle that would be competitive in Le Mans, a legendary 24-hour race held in France that the best of the best attended. Nothing went according to plan during the attempted merger and this sets up the premise for “Ford V. Ferrari” and the film plays out in spectacular fashion just as you’d expect.
With Matt Damon as Carrol Shelby, legendary auto designer, and Christian Bale as Ken Miles, British race car driver and incredible engineer, the movie races from point to point with almost no slowing down. Both actors are perfect in their roles with Damon demonstrating Shelby’s slow drawl but quick wit and Bale filling Miles with anger that is occasionally wild but controlled and directional when it really matters. They are paired right alongside Ray Mckinnon who plays Phil Remington and Jon Bernthal who plays Ford executive, Lee Iacocca. These actors take an incredible script and turn it into gold.
When I say there was no lull in this film I mean it. While it is a lengthy film at a hair over two and a half hours, you don’t feel it in the slightest. On the contrary, you are left hoping for more and when the credits roll, you are left feeling as though there couldn’t be any possibility that the film ran that long. It’s that sense of escapism that makes a movie like “Ford v Ferrari” shine.
It is truly a film for everyone. While Bale’s character lets solutions to problems pour from his mouth using technical lingo that will interest the shade tree mechanics in the room, the human interest moments and just pristine acting will keep those who aren’t familiar with a motor engaged. It can be argued that those moments of human interaction push this film forward. The premise is about a car, the GT-40, and its conception but you stay for Shelby and Miles and their changing chemistry throughout the film. “Ford v Ferrari” truly is a film that everyone will love and many will rewatch over and over again.
In Theaters Friday, November 15th
