More like Ford v Ford - Ford v Ferrari
Looking for flaws in a movie like this, with low stakes and even lower ambitions, can be a challenge. For what it is, this is a well-made Hollywood popcorn machine that aims to put butts in seats and satisfy a certain conventional storytelling sensibility.cThere are laughs, there are thrills, there is pathos, and it all comes together about as well as one would expect. The problem is that when you started with so much, isn’t it fair to expect more?
The frame of the story is the early 1960s quest for racing domination that pitted the Ford Motor Company against the vaunted Italian sports car manufacturer, Ferrari. And while there was personal animus between the two companies, the real drama comes from internal Ford machinations.
Faced with flagging sales and a family legacy to maintain, Henry Ford II (played by Tracy Letts), challenges his workforce to do better. Thinking outside the box, Lee Iacocca (played by Jon Bernthal) says Ford should get into the racing business and make American families desirous of that racetrack lifestyle. After some back and forth, they end up reaching out to Carol Shelby, a legendary sports car designer. Together, they set out to win the 24 Hours of Lemans.
The film’s central conflict is that of corporatism versus progress, as Ford holds Shelby back time after time. But once Shelby is able to join forces with his favorite driver, Ken Miles (played by Christian Bale), the two make automotive history and achieve things no one previously thought possible.
If all of that sounds straightforward, it is because it is. The surprises are a function of the history, so things proceed more or less in the way you would predict. The real achievements of the film actually have very little to do with the storytelling. The most unimpeachable aspects are actually found in its technical merits. The sound design is borderline brilliant as the cars are not only loud, but thoughtfully mic’d so as to produce genuinely enthralling sound. That, paired with the beautiful photography of these classic cars and desert landscapes makes for a sensory experience that is genuinely impressive.
As far as performances go, we are treated to a two-hander from Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Each of the two is doing respectable work, but it is Bale that achieves more interesting depths with his character. Damon is largely doing ‘movie star oozes charisma’ as the ever-confident Shelby, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but when we are used to more impressive work from all involved, it is hard to get too worked up about it.
Superficially, this is a good time at the movies. If that is all you are looking for, seek this out. Just don’t go in expecting your doors to be blown off.
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