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)

In terms of the craftsmanship and the acting, it’s a precise reconstruction of events, there’s no question about it, and if I was an ardent fan of motor sports I would probably jump in joy, but I can’t put up with the motivational naivete and the explicit fairytale story, where the evil Italians deride the heroic American designers, whose bosses are blithering idiots. The cinematography and, especially, the sound of the races are awesome and Bale is great again, but I would cut twenty minutes off and pay more attention to the balance between the three climaxes, of which only one worked for me. That said, this is a pleasant film and I’ve no reason harbour any hate towards it. (12/24/2019)

Mangold, as always, follows the path of least resistance. This gasoline-soaked bromance thus favors cliche and simple shortcuts over complexity. Sometimes, Mangold's routine is funny (the way he helps himself by creating a disgusting villain, a B-movie caricature of a Ferrari driver), sometimes it’s a little irritating (will the directors really keep only giving Bernthal roles to play in a coma?), but mostly it’s just straightforward fun. The racing sequences are shot with confidence and with the pedal to the floor. Bale and Damon talk about electric innovations, and the former can conjure more intensity with his expression behind the wheel than the spectacular somersaults of racing cars at the curb of a country road in Le Mans. This film praises honest garage guys who face the dementia of people in suits with their hearts and over sensitivity. Just like Rush, it’s impossible not to like it. At the same time, however, one cannot get rid of the feeling that the best story in the history of motorsport has more horses under the hood than Mangold was able to take advantage of. He is simply such a reliable Ford van with a stable, bubbling diesel engine. Not a passionate twelve-cylinder. (11/16/2019)

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)