Ford V Ferrari Movie Review
Ford v Ferrari Tells the Real Tale Behind the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans
Hello Everyone, today we are going to be talking about Ford v. Ferrari, or Le Mans ‘66, depending on which region of the world you live in.
I was lucky enough to attend an advance screening of the film a week before the premiere, and, wow, is there a lot to cover, so let’s just jump into it.
The film revolves around racing driver Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale and the infamous Carroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon. Miles is a struggling racing driver, a Brit living in Los Angeles trying to balance his love of racing and the need to support his financially struggling family. Shelby, at this point, is just beginning to sell his Ford-powered Cobra sportscars, also struggling to make it work.
Then there is the entire Ford executive team, centered by Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts), a notorious hardass in the industry. After some cajoling by a young Lee Iacocca (Jon Berthal), the company tries to buy out Ferrari, then still a small boutique handbuilt company. The story picks up from there as the deal goes sour and Henry Ford II is determined to hit Enzo Ferrari where it hurts the most: by winning Le Mans. Miles and Shelby are eventually brought into the fray by Ford and the story takes it from there.
Full disclosure, I am determined to not spoil the movie for fans beyond that setup.
I’m not a movie reviewer, I’m a car guy, and as a car guy, who lives in LA, where much of the film takes place, there is a lot to appreciate with Ford v. Ferrari.
They shoot at the real Willow Springs International Raceway, which was staged to appear as it did in the 1960s. They even reference the track as such, bringing authenticity to the film.
Speaking of authenticity, there are the characters. Leading up to this film, I had actually been doing content work for one of my outlets specifically geared on Ford v. Ferrari and the real story behind it. They nailed the personalities of the characters.
Bale as Ken Miles affects the correct Brummie accent, complete with Miles’ signature “sidebite” mannerism of speaking out of the side of his mouth.
The same goes for Carroll Shelby, where Damon nails the somewhat crude and unpolished Texan, who was famous for being able to seal a deal as he talked through it.
The same theme carries on for the entire cast, even less prominent characters, like Ken Miles’ wife Mollie, who, in her day, knew how to wheel a car. It’s clear that a lot of care was put into understanding and accurately portraying all of the characters in the film.
Similarly, the film took great care to include small anecdotes and additional context pieces based on what actually happened to these people in real life. At Willow Springs, there is a scene where Miles has a heated moment with an SCCA racing official, that was based on a real story. Again, it shows a lot of care and respect to the details of the story, and the people who made it what it is.
Then there is the racing. The driving scenes, most all of them, are amazing. Beautifully shot and captivating to watch, along with the human element from the head-on in car tracking shots, the racing had everyone in the theater on the edge of their seats, because not everything goes according to plan when you’re racing, and pushing a car as hard as it will go. Anyone who has ever raced a car, or pushed a car hard will resonate with this film and the emotion and spirit in conveys.
Ken Miles, in particular, is captured as this dark horse of motorsport, who, through insane talent, as well as his ability to feel the car and have this deep mechanical sympathy for it, comes off as an incredibly deep, and, ultimately, tragic figure.
Sure, there are some Hollywood elements to the film, it’s an inevitability, but Ford v. Ferrari is a must-watch film. So much care was put into it that even those who don’t have a passing interest in cars will be hooked. For those of us who do, it’s even better. Ford v Ferrari is that rare film that just hits the mark, and deeply connects with us all.
