One of the most favorite genres of film has always been the
sports film. Inevitably those films almost always revolve around the struggle
of the little guy against the giant, be it the favorite team to win or the
corporation trying to stomp out the individual. One of the least popular sub
genres in this category has been the racing film. Only a handful have been
successful. To that list we must now add FORD V FERRARI.
The film opens with driver Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon)
winning the Le Mans in France in 1959. Due to health issues he can no longer
drive and sets up his own car company, Shelby American. Years go by and at
Ford’s owner Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) is upset because Ford has yet to come
up with a successful sports car. Prompted to push for something new Lee Iacocca
(Jon Bernthal) suggest they look at the youth marker which appreciates foreign
cars.
Ford attempts to buy out the now bankrupt Ferrari but it’s
merely a ploy for Ferrari to raise their value before selling to Fiat and
insulting Ford. This pushes Ford II to appoint a team to create a new car to
race on the circuit, especially at Le Mans. The man Iacocca suggests lead that
team is Shelby.
But Shelby has people to bring along as well. One of those
is Ken Miles (Christian Bale), perhaps the best driver in the world but one
with a reputation for being difficult to work with. Early on we see this when
the two have a disagreement. But if anyone can pull the best out of Miles it’s
Shelby.
They go to work, assemble the best there is at designing
their new car and find themselves butting heads with the Ford team at the
start. This team uses computers and gadgets to measure things. Shelby and
Mile’s team knows their car, inside and out. A bit of ribbon and duct tape and
they can prove the point they want to make as opposed to scouring through hours
of computer data. This results in them all working together towards a common
goal.
This team creates the first major racing car for Ford, the
GT40 Mk I. But not everyone at Ford headquarters is on the same page. Executive
Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas) is more concerned about advancing his career and does
what he can to throw a wrench in the works figuratively. He convinces Ford to
not include Miles on the team. Miles predicts that none of the Fords in competition
at Le Mans will win and his prediction comes true.
When Shelby is called on the carpet by Ford to explain why
they lost to Ferrari, he explains in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t the car
that was the problem as much as not having the right driver. To prove his point
he makes a deal with Ford. Let them continue to work on the car and if Miles
can’t win the race at Daytona, he’ll sign over his entire company to Ford.
Miles does win and it looks like everything is a go for both
Shelby American, Ford and Miles. But once again Beebe inserts himself in a
position he knows nothing about. He’s wrangles his way into the head of the
foreign racing team for Ford and seems bound and determined to put Miles in his
place rather than allow the team to succeed.
It all boils down to the second year at Le Mans with the new
Ford GT40 Mk I and Miles onboard as one of the drivers. The 24 hour race
commences and it isn’t long until Beebe tries to derail the team. This time
though Shelby refuses to bow down and keeps things moving properly. Now it’s up
to the team and Miles to make Ford a name to be reckoned with in the racing
world.
Racing fans will know the outcome of the film. Not being a
race fan I came at the film from a different perspective. What I walked away with
was having watched a movie that was amazing from start to finish. The film
might include some amazing race photography but it doesn’t focus only on that
like many racing films do. Instead it tells the story of two men and their
struggles to achieve a united goal of winning Le Mans in a car that they were
responsible for creating.
Both Damon and Bale add two more roles to their already long
list of accomplishments. How neither won for their performances here is beyond
me. The heart and soul of these two men is on display here in the film and it
draws the viewer in rooting for them until the final moments of the film.
I missed this one in the theaters, not really wanting to see
it that bad. They should have promoted it more. It was truly one of the best
films of the year and deserved more attention. With it available on disc now is
your chance. This should be the one you look for this weekend.
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