Ford v Ferrari (2019)

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

First things first, I'm giving a special thank you to my friend Michael Russillo for not only requesting this review but for also helping me develop this site. He did most of the work on it so I have him to thank for it! Couldn't have done this without you, Mike!

Ford v Ferrari, released in 2019, has an excellent cast, with Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, and Josh Lucas in the starring roles. The film is excellent and deserves its praise. The film tells the true story of the successful effort of the Ford Motor Company to beat Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France by building a car fast enough to beat them.

The film opens with Carroll Shelby (Damon) winning the Le Mans in 1959 before being told by his doctor that he cannot race anymore due to a heart condition, forcing him into retirement. He founds his own car selling and manufacturing company, Shelby American. Shelby is friends with, and assists at races, Ken Miles (Bale), an inflammatory, hot-headed, British racer and financially struggling mechanic. The acting of Bale is spectacular. He has amazing lines of dialogue and is just fun to watch. We also get to hear Bale's natural accent, something audiences seldom hear in his films.

One day, Shelby is approached by Lee Iacocca (Bernthal), who offers him the chance to produce a car for Ford to race at Le Mans. Iacocca is coming on behalf of Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts), who recently failed to purchase Ferarri from Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) himself. Shelby accepts and enlists a reluctant Miles to race the car. Desperate to support his wife (Balfe) and son, he accepts Shelby's offer. The racing scenes in the film are phenomenal. The cinematography, editing, and sound are excellent. The Oscars it won for the latter two are well deserved.

Unfortunately, due to animosity between Miles and Leo Beebe (Lucas), as well as Miles' incendiary personality, Miles is forced out of the Le Mans by Beebe. Ford ends up losing the race in a humiliating defeat. Shelby then pulls strings as well as wagers his own company so that Miles can prove himself in the Daytona race to race at the 1966 Le Mans. Miles wins, but he must go on to Le Mans and beat Ferrari. Can he do it?

The film goes on and I must say that the acting of Josh Lucas is criminally underrated. His character is a douche and he kills it in the role. I hated his character, especially at the end, where Ford makes Miles slow down so that all of the Fords cross the finish line at the same time in first place in order to get a good photo op. Miles ends up coming in second place on a technicality, screwing him out of first. I have seen Lucas in several films and he always plays a douchebag character and he always plays it incredibly well. The film ends on a tragic note, as Miles dies in a car accident while driving one of the racing cars.

Ford v Ferrari was a great film and was incredibly entertaining. Not better than 1917 (2019), not worthy of the Best Picture win, but still great and worth a watch. If you like racing films, then this is the film for you! Give it a watch, you won't be disappointed! I rate this film GREAT on the scale.