Of Legends and Speed

Ford vs. Ferrari (2019) – In the mid-1960s, automotive icon Carroll Shelby and racing driver Ken Miles drag the Ford Motor Company into a head-to-head battle with the legendary Ferrari. If the legendary American carmaker will just get out of the way, history could be made.

Directed by James Mangold

Starring Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Berthal

Why I Liked It – Damon and Bales are utterly brilliant.

Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II had profoundly different ideas about how to build a car. The Italian cared about style and speed. Ford wanted sales and minimal risk. It took a Texan with a vision that split the other two right down the middle to create one of the greatest racing cars of all time.

“Ford vs. Ferrari” is the mostly historically correct story of the creation of the Ford GT40. Only one American built car has ever won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the greatest of all the endurance races in the world. Drive as fast as you can, as fast as your car can endure, for twenty-four consecutive hours. First car across the finish line wins. It’s a grueling test for car and driver. Starting in 1958, Ferrari or a Ferrari racecar had won 7 of 8 of the annual races. The one year they didn’t win, (1959) Carroll Shelby was one of two drivers on the team that did. Now, he wanted to put an American stamp on the race.

Here, the movie focuses on the two men who will fine tune the legendary GT40, Shelby and English racer, Ken Miles. Matt Damon plays Shelby with a low key approach to being a ruthless, demanding boss and visionary. Christian Bale gives Miles the edge for which he was famous. Without offering a spoiler, Miles is the tragic figure here, and Bale makes him compelling viewing. He offers the fire to balance Shelby’s ice.

For auto racing fans, this movie should be on the “must-see” list. An Oscar winner, it has two fabulous actors portraying iconic people in a movie that centers on a brilliant car. Even if the car stuff isn’t your gallon of high test, the actors and characters are astounding in a Greek tragedy kind of way. This is an epic story that comes with an epic finale.

Rating – ***** Highest Rating