Ford V Ferrari is directed by James Mangold and stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale as two real men that worked with Ford to produce the fastest race car in the world in order to beat Ferrari in the 1966 Le Mans 24 hour race in France. 

With Ford Motors heading downhill financially, Ford president, Henry Ford ll sends ex race car driver and automotive visionary Carroll Shelby (Damon) to oversee production and put together a team to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. Shelby calls upon his friend, Ken Miles (Bale), a British race car driver and mechanic to join the Ford team and race at Le Mans.

The two butt heads with Ford as Miles’ temper and unorthodox behavior conflicts with the image and expectations of Ford. Shelby’s level headed nature and faith in Miles is the string that narrowly ties the team together to get to the finish line. 

The relationship between Shelby and Miles is the reason to see the film, that love and support is the main drive of the film. Yes, there’s a goal outside their friendship, but you care about that, not because you want to see Ford succeed, but you want to see these two men succeed.

Miles’ eccentric behavior is so endeering and you automatically route for him because he’s passionate and you can get behind his motives because they’re so pure. This is a fine line that Bale walks very well, keeping you on his side throughout the film. His relationship with his son (Noah Jupe) and wife (Caitriona Balfe) are also very sweet and add another emotional stake to the film.

In a couple scenes we see the fear of Ken’s son Peter as he watches his dad drive at breakneck speeds, giving us a perspective on the dangers of this project and this sport.

Damon as Shelby is also very strong, being a wonderful foil to Miles. Damon also plays his motives so pure, with a goal in mind and his intentions being expressed so clearly in this film, thanks to Mangold’s direction as well as the performances. 

As this is a film about racing, the racing scenes should be good, but I was still blown away by the sleekness of the drive scenes, bringing you into the movie so much more. Mangold uses wide swooping angles and unique staging to clearly set up the massive scale of the races as well as the power of these cars.

I’ve heard this said many times in other reviews, that you don’t need to be a fan of cars top love this movie and I agree. Mangold himself stated that he doesn’t know anything about cars. The scenes in which characters talk about the technical side of the cars is never confusing and yet never panders to the audience, feeling as exciting as possible. 

Everyone is great in their roles. I can’t think of anyone who really stands out as less than the others. Josh Lucas as a sleazy Ford executive was very good. I wanted to punch him in the face the whole time. Ray McKinnon as Shelby’s friend and second in command, Phil Remington, is also very good.

I only have small problems with this film, one being that the film is about 20 minutes too long. The beginning drags a little and probably could’ve been cut shorter. There’s a lot of set up for Ford and explaining why they are building a racecar and I think a few scenes overstayed their welcome. 

If it weren’t for that small flaw, this film would be flawless. Once we get passed the set up of the film, it flies. Ford V Ferrari is very well paced, breezing by and leaving me wanting more of these characters and this world. The 60’s aesthetic adds a lot to the film as well, bringing a unique and warm tone to the movie. The performances are some of the best all year and the direction is electric. 

I didn’t know anything about this story outside of the trailers and I recommend you do the same before you see this. Don’t look up the story, because there were twists in this film that have more emotion and weight if you don’t know the story already.

This film has a lot of charm and energy as well as fantastic performances, direction, and cinematography. I highly recommend this film.

Check out Hamm’s last film review Ad Astra Movie Review.

For another article, check out Four sport games in one day, Nov. 19.

Hamm can be reached through his email