Summary: In Ford V Ferrari, American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford and challenge Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
Genre: Action, Drama, Biography
So we have another history based film. Unlike Midway, the film Ford V Ferrari is not tackling a very well known event. To say nothing of the historical achievements of the two men this film is based on, but anyone who is outside the niche world of racing would not have a clue this is even real. With this in mind, it gives us a perfect canvas for a very well crafted movie by James Mangold (Logan, Walk The Line, Cop Land) and good performances by Christian Bale (Ken Miles), Jon Bernthal (Lee Iacocca), Josh Lucas (Leo Beebe) and others. Despite all this horsepower, the film cannot get up to top speed due to the bad header that is the performance of the lead, Matt Damon, who does the great Carroll Shelby a huge disservice with a weak performance.
On the positive side, this film has every ingredient necessary for a classic film. The performance by Bale, as the “everyman” Ken Miles is well played as a contrast to the lives of Henry Ford 2 & Enzo Ferrari. As much as I do not like Bale personally, he always turns in a solid performance and must be given credit for it. The relationship between him and Miles wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) shows a married couple in a positive light. The wife does not exist to cut down her husband, instead is the compliment that we should all hope to have as men. By the same token, my favorite performance was by Bernthal as Iacocca. In a nice departure from his normal roles, he handles the weight of Iacooca legacy, not treating him like the eventual icon he would become, but as a normal person who struggles with his doubt and decisions. Finally, the strongest part of the film is the friendship between Shelby & Miles, which is sorely lacking today. This relationship has no hint of anything other than masculine friendship (which could have easily been laced with homosexual undertones). To see men acting like men, working together in pursuit of a goal, highlights how lost a generation of men truly are today.
Finally what holds this film up is Damon. I don’t know where this “performance” was, but I didn’t see it. I am guessing that the people who think Damon did a great job think a Prius is a sports car. Carroll Shelby is a legend. Being a “Ford” guy in my younger days, he was my go to when talking about racing and speed. One of the few Americans to win the Le Mans race, he needs to be played with a certain air of confidence and frankly, swagger. Damon cannot even handle a consistent “Texan” accent, let alone the presence needed for such a legend. From time to time he didn’t seem to be bothered to even attempt it. There is also his attempt at being “relatable” and maybe it comes from the fact that Damon himself isn’t, but it doesn’t come across. He comes across as a guy who is clearly acting, and that holds the film from truly opening up.
Despite all the pieces in place, Ford V Ferrari cannot overcome a lackluster lead who doesn’t live up to the real thing. It’s the same as telling yourself that the “sports” version of your electric coupe is the same as 2000 Mustang Cobra R. Yeah you can try, but you aren’t fooling anyone. Ford V Ferrari just cannot get up to speed.
Score: 3 1/2 out of 5 Briefcases’s
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Aaron B on 11/15/2019
Matt Damon is a good actor, but you make a decent point about his ability to relate to the audience. When the Bourne Series came out, I was very reluctant because I couldn’t see him in that role. However, those have become some of our favorites. Perhaps the distance necessary to play someone who has lost their memory was portrayed solidly by someone that is not relateable.