Gail Arneke
FORD v FERRARI, 20th Century Fox, directed by James Mangold, written by Jez Butterworth, John Herman Butterworth and Jason Keller, starring Christian Bale, Matt Damon.
Even for someone who does not understand why anyone would want to watch cars drive in a circle for hours on end, this is a wonderful movie. A.O. Scott, reviewing it in the New York Times called it a type of “solid, satisfying, non-pandering movie that can seem endangered nowadays.” And it is. It has a strong plot, with good guys, bad guys. It has a theme—does the world, here the racing word, need the staid, corporate, by the book approach; or does it need art, devotion to craft, individual skills and dreams.
The movie is set in 1966. Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) is the epitome of the corporate man, beholden to tradition, always followed by a cadre of white men in suits, ready to jump at his commands. The type who follow is exemplified by Leo Beebe (Josh Logan), senior vice president of the company. He is unctuous, striving, a bit slimy looking, and resentful of anyone getting in his way. The very handsome young Lee Iococca (Jon Barnthol), Ford’s marketing director, is just the person to get in Beebe’s way by supporting innovation and disdaining the prevailing lock-step, by the book thinking that is so prevalent.
The Ferrari guys are just as staid, in their own conniving way. Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone), in financial trouble, encourages Ford to make an offer to buy Ferrari. The Ford offer is only a pretext to get Fiat to raise its offering price, and Ford retreats, embarrassed.
Enter Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, former champion driver and a rising star in car design, and Christian Bale as Ken Miles, an excellent British driver and car builder known to be difficult. One of the suits at Ford denounces him as a “beatnik.” “Nascent hippie” might also have been appropriate.
Shelby and Miles design a car, and Ford comes to admire their work. The key race here is Twenty-Four Hours at LeMans. Ferrari had won four of the last five at LeMans. Ford has three cars entered in the coming race, one the Shelby and Miles car. Ferrari has three also. By now, of course, the bad guys include not only the haughty, disdainful Ferrari team, but also the Beebe faction at Ford. Miles is one of the drivers; Shelby controls the action on the ground, which includes thwarting most of Beebe’s plans to scuttle the Shelby-Miles car. No spoilers here as to the outcome of the race or of the movie.
The casting of this movie is excellent. Matt Damon and Christian Bale are so fine in their roles that it becomes hard not to believe that they really are race car builders and drivers.
Catriona Balfe as Miles’ wife Molly and Noah Jupe as his son Peter are the perfect supporting players. Not too mushy or worshipful, they support Miles’ plans and dreams and understand his work. Molly is not all that enthusiastic of the sacrifices the family makes for Miles’ vision, but she never gives up on it. Peter is Miles’ ultimate fan.
I particularly liked Ray McKinnon in a supporting role. He is an experienced mechanic or engineer at Ford and works alongside Shelby and Miles to get the car ready to run for its win, including once banging the driver’s door with a sledge hammer when it proves unable to stay closed in the big race. He has empathy for the two mavericks written all over him. He reminded me of a loyal cowboy sidekick.
The racing scenes are excellent. Lots of close ups of drivers who have time to pull away from watching the track to glare at each other while going about 150 mph, and sweeping scenes of cars hurtling over tricky tracks. The speed is almost palpable. The cinematography is so good that the viewer feels the scenes. The film won Oscars for film editing and sound editing.
The start of the movie shows Matt Damon’s grim face, pressed into ugliness by his fury to win, in some race somewhere. His suit catches fire. He jumps out, the fire is quelled, and with the same grim purpose he throws himself back in the car to finish the race. In a voiceover he explains to the audience the experience of driving at 7000rpm. There is no car, no body, just oneness with the experience. That is who you are. And the movie shows who Shelby and Miles are.
Editor’s Note: Film is available for rent, online streaming or purchase.