Ford v Ferrari is James Mangold’s Best Film
In Ford v Ferrari, James Mangold directs nail-biting race sequences and a fantastic sports-biopic inspired by the true story of how Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) developped the Ford GT-40 to defeat their rival Ferrari in the 24 hours of La Mans in 1966.
The main problem I have with the film is the structure of it is very cookie-cutter. It follows many of the sports biopic tropes and checks them off the list. For example, there’s the motivational speeches. 1) Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) convinces Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) to get Ford in the racing division, in which Ford calls Sean Connery’s James Bond a “degenerate” (probably the best joke of the entire film) for not driving a Ford, 2) Caroll tries to convince asshole Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas who gives an absolutely terrific performance) that Miles is the man for the job, even if he doesn’t want to listen because he’s afraid Miles will tarnish the “brand” of Ford (all Beebe thinks about is money signs and the fact that Ford needs a “Ford man”) and then 3) he convinces Ford to get Miles on the road after testing the car. There’s the obvious training montage (or, in this case, the assembly montage), and nail-biting sequences that want you to believe that Miles (or Ford for that matter) will not win. If you also know the true story behind Ken Miles’ tragic death, it’s no surprise that the film ends with him dying for added emotional value. If you know the story, if you’ve seen (a lot) of sports movies, the structure of the film will come as no surprise to you as you might find it (at times) very predictable and formula-ic (see what I did there? Ok, I’ll see myself out…).
However, the rest of the movie is absolutely fantastic. First off, the race sequences are a must-see on an IMAX screen. The sound mixing and editing is top-notch, one that will for sure score an Academy Award nomination (it’s locked…I can feel it in my guts). The IMAX completely immerses you in the world of the film and its cinematography, beautifully shot by Phedon Papamichael will score an Academy Award nomination as well. I felt completely submerged in the movie, during its quiet sequences, because of the sound design and absolutely fantastic cinematography that is able to catch the actors’ wonderful facial expressions. Jon Bernthal, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Josh Lucas and Tracy Letts are all great facial actors who can literally convey everything with their facial expressions. Mangold understands that perfectly and is able to get every inch of the actors’ facial expressions complement its expressive and dynamic cinematography.
Surprisingly, Josh Lucas is the true standout here as Leo Beebe, a magnate asshole whom you only want to punch in the face after the movie’s over. That’s how good he was. Then comes Damon & Bale who both give terrific performances and have great chemistry together. Bale, once again, transforms himself in the role of Ken Miles, losing the weight he gained for Dick Cheney in Vice, but also gives a wonderful performance as a manic war veteran with a passion for racing. Then out comes Damon who gives a highly charismatic and energetic performance in the first, second, and half of the film’s last act, until his dramatic turn after Miles’ death and gives a great lesson of life to Miles’ son (Noah Jupe) to close out the film. It’s a pretty emotional scene, and even if you knew the circumstances of Ken Miles’ death, seeing Shelby mourn the loss of his friend and then seeing his son who lost his dad is a complete emotional-knocker.
If you’re going to see and hopefully experience Ford v Ferrari in a theater with great sound system, know this; it’s basic plot and formulaic structure does not overshadow its terrfic performances, nail-biting race action sequences that are exhilirating, exciting and pure joyous fun at the movies, sumptuous cinematography, a great soundtrack and a dynamic script from Jez Butterworth, Josh-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller. It’s a film to see with a big crowd to get excited once the climax at La Mans hits the screen, but one to enjoy with family as well. It’s well-made enough to maybe snag a few awards nominations in the coming months, which makes it James Mangold’s best film (by default).
✯✯✯✯
