Ford v Ferrari

A memorial to Ken Miles and his friendship with Carroll Shelby. Mangold directs the wonderfully clear screenplay so surehandedly that the two and a half hours spent in the theater just fly by. Ford v Ferrari is a real hit with fantastic race scenes, one-liners from Bale with his brutal British accent and Shelby’s talent as a saboteur. The fight with the big corporation encumbered with a bureaucratic system and dumb managerial decisions works just fine (and in itself mirrors today’s ridiculous times when they couldn’t get the rights to use the title Ford v Ferrari inside the European Union), but it all stands on the performances of Bale, Damon and the Ford GT40. (11/14/2019)

The trailers promised a masculine and dense drama that would be both old-school atmospheric and modern at the same time. And that's what we got in the cinemas. Ford v Ferrari may be nearly two and a half hours long, but it paces incredibly well, and the final race is one of the most gripping scenes of the year – though the tinkering with the car in the workshop, the vigorous exchanges between the protagonists and the Ford executives, and the wild testing of what the car and its driver are no less entertaining. James Mangold's film has great heroes whose camaraderie (peppered with the occasional fight between them) you believe in, Christian Bale and Matt Damon are both excellent, and the duel with their Italian adversaries, which lasts perhaps thirty minutes, is literally packed with twists and turns and thrilling moments. Whether it's Bale hurtling down the track at 250 km/h or Damon figuring out how to carve out a few extra seconds in the pits. Aside from a few details, like the overly one-dimensional antagonists, I don't really know much to fault Ford v Ferrari for. Extremely honest filmmaking and one of the contenders for film of the year. (11/07/2019)

Another great role for Christian Bale, who once again delivers an astonishing performance. This actor and his skills account for about half of the drive of this fun, light-hearted, cool, fast ride with some intimate undertones. In every scene, Mangold’s direction is clearly heading to the climax, which delivers not one but three summaries of the story. But the balance and emotional and intellectual connection of these summaries could be questioned, which constitutes the fatal shortcoming of the film. (11/26/2019)

A more sweeping, layered and playful ride than the slightly older Rush, which by the way was much more focused and coherent than this racing part comedy, part drama. In terms of the acting, it's similarly strong, I'd even say Damon delivers one of his best performances, but at times it’s not as hard-hitting and nuanced as Ron Howard's masterpiece. Mangold loses at the finish line, but he’s racing in a slightly different category. The link remains primarily the smell of gasoline. (11/27/2019)

5th best movie may be an exaggeration, but the best movie about racing it is without a doubt. James Mangold emerges as a guarantee of great quality, serving up a nerve-wracking tale of the most challenging Le Mans race, with both Christian Bale and Matt Damon excelling. At first I struggled to fully immerse myself in the film, but once the car testing began and the actual half hour race itself, packed with complications and suspense, it was a blast. I probably don't need to see it again, but I enjoyed it. 8/10 (12/03/2019)