Ford v. Ferrari: Review

James Mangold's racing drama is a deserved Oscar winner for Christian Bale, providing a thrilling, moving and funny movie that may not be a quick lap, but when the finish line comes, it speeds over it with a full throttle 

Matt Damon and Christian Bale in 'Ford v. Ferrari' (CREDIT: Twentieth Century Fox/Disney)

by Jack Linsdell

Twentieth Century Fox has always been the one-stop-shop for adult-skewing, studio-programmers, especially making a name for itself with the "based on a true story" movies, that often attract the biggest stars and (mostly) always end up in the Oscar race. We've seen it in 2016 with their cold war/NASA racial drama Hidden Figures, in which the Taraji P. Henson/Octavia Spencer-led flick earned three Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Screenplay and Supporting Actress. We've seen it in 2017 with Guillermo del Toro's romantic/dark fantasy flick The Shape of Water, with the Sally Hawkins/Richard Jenkins/Octavia Spencer-starring film achieving 13 Academy Award nominations - winning five. So, can James Mangold's Matt Damon/Christian Bale-led racing-drama Ford v. Ferrari continue their "turn based on true events adult-programmers into Oscar hopefuls" trend of recent years? Well...based on it's sheer quality alone, that's an exponential "yes".

Firstly, let's set the scene. We find American automotive designer Carol Shelby (a very game Matt Damon) and fearless British racing car driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale; who steals the screen) as they battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary racing car for the Ford Motor Company. Together, they build towards the dream of beating the reigning racing champions Ferrari at the Le Mans race in 1966. With several third act poignant and surprising plot twists, this is a excellently well-paced and nuanced character-drama that brings to life an incredible story of what "living life for the ride" actually means.

Ford v. Ferrari is penned by playwright-turned-screenwriter brothers John and Henry Butterworth, along with Jason Keller, and comes in at a hefty 156 minutes. However, in the words of Tom Cruise when talking about the mighty running time of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, "it doesn't matter how long a film is. What's more important, is how long it actually feels". And, Ford v. Ferrari feels exceptionally judged, giving you plenty of time with sublimely, well-sketched characters, along with some really thrilling and edge-of-your-seat racing sequences that take their time to educate you on the nature of the sport, as well as why every gear change or braking manoeuvre is crucial to the race and the story. So, folks, don't be put off by the running time, because I can confirm that every minute is money well spent of your cinema ticket, as James Mangold's period, racing drama is so engaging and enthralling from first frame to last it warrants a big screen viewing.

As much credit as the script should get for it's achievements in cementing itself as one of 2019's best character-dramas, Ford v. Ferrari is really made by an outstanding cast. If that seems obvious, then you really do need to see the movie to understand what I'm saying. Matt Damon is terrific, and although I've always respected him as a fine actor, he always comes off as "Matt Damon plays this character", albeit in a career that has produced some of my most favourite movies. Here, Damon brings his a-game, with proper accent and character work done by himself to really become Carroll Shelby and capture his personality on-screen. It's easy for such big names to not try when they get to a certain point in their career, but Damon cannot be accused of that here. But, as good as he is here, Christian Bale steals the show in an Oscar worthy performance. He deserves an Academy Award victory here because his performance is so well-nuanced, judged, sincere and entertaining (not to mention a stunningly-accurate British accent) that he really does steal the screen. Bale manages to really sell the whole "difficult with people" personality of Miles, but does it in a way that creates immense entertaining value to an audience (no word of a lie, I was laughing throughout) without jeopardising the character's integrity. As someone whose never really paid too much attention to Bale, he's certainly on my radar now. Ford v. Ferrari also boasts a strong supporting cast with the phenomenal Noah Juppe (from 2017's terrific domestic-drama Wonder) cementing himself as a truly outstanding young acting talent playing Miles' son, and Caitriona Balfe delivering the goods and more despite only having a small role.

A notable mention is that James Mangold, obviously given a free card by Fox after his success with Logan, puts all the money of the $90 million budget on the screen, crafting an appealing domestic drama that is not just a "talky" movie, but one with thrilling car stunt work and deep-belly comedy. It's not flashy in it's direction, just a well-written story that is well-communicated on the screen.

Ford v. Ferrari may not be the quickest driver off the start blocks compared to your lean-n-mean action blockbuster, but it certainly zooms past the finish line with flying colours by providing a well-made and superbly-acted character-drama, that nails it's story as well as providing pure entertainment for those after a little thrill and laugh on a Saturday night.

5/5 STARS