Submitted
The movie Ford v. Ferrari celebrated competition and American know-how. Ferrari is a starker, more stripped-down title, alerting us that its focus is not just a race, but an internal conflict within the very soul of a singular visionary. Ferrari covers critical three months in the life of Enzo Ferrari, the pioneering automaker facing complete economic ruin in 1957.
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He sees one solution, and of course it’s a race—a contest called the Mille Miglia, spanning nearly 1,000 miles of gorgeous (but extremely treacherous) Italian countryside. If one of Enzo’s drivers can bring a Ferrari across the finish line first, the resulting publicity could resuscitate the company’s fortunes and its worldwide prestige. Michael Mann, creator of the trend-setting television series Miami Vice and films like Manhunter and Heat, loves brooding, tightly-wound antiheroes: he’s got the perfect star in Adam Driver, whose charismatic intensity conveys more than words ever could.
Enzo lacks empathy and compassion, but he’s a genuine artist whose perfectionism is a mark of integrity as well as stubbornness. His steely performance is balanced by Penélope Cruz as Enzo’s wife Laura, and Shailene Woodley as his independent-minded mistress, Lina.
Enzo’s infidelity isn’t glossed over or forgiven—the most powerful drama comes when Laura learns the scope of his betrayal and has to decide whether to wreck vengeance upon the company. Enzo is a fascinating, flawed individual but his devotion to racing, and desire to win the Mille Miglia, is so paradoxically pure of heart, that his efforts to build the perfect racing team (with nice turns by Jack O’Connell and Patrick Dempsey) are as mesmerizing as prep scenes in a great heist film.
Intelligent, enthralling, and evocative in its period detail, Ferrari is a throwback to the character-driven cinema of the ‘70s, and a fantastic, stylish return to form for director Mann.
Rated R for violent content/images, sexual content, and profanity. | 2h 10m
Starring: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gordon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O'Connell, Patrick Dempsey
Director: Michael Mann