Our film today is set in the 1960’s and stars Matt Damon (Carroll Shelby) and Christian Bale (Ken Miles). Yes, this is a “bromance” movie that centers on fast cars and car racing.
Shelby is a champion racer that is forced into early retirement due to high blood pressure and heart disease. He moves from driving cars to designing and selling high-end sports cars but keeps his hand in racing by sponsoring a few racers. Miles is one of Shelby’s racers, but he is a hothead with a bad reputation. Miles eventually loses his sponsor, leaves racing and works as a mechanic at his own floundering garage.
It’s at this time, that Lee Iacocca, a new executive at Ford, makes a suggestion to elevate Ford’s image with the younger buyer, and proposes Ford purchase Ferrari. Ferrari, is amused by the ridiculousness of Ford’s offer, and sends them and their offer packing back to Detroit.
Ford is incensed with Ferrari’s dismissal and sets his sights on designing a car that could best Ferrari. He sets a goal of competing against Ferrari and winning at LeMans, a twenty four hour endurance car race which Ferrari had a history of winning.
Though retired from racing Shelby is the go to guy, and Ford courts him to not only design the car for LeMans but also create a racing team. Shelby knows he needs Miles, but his reputation has put off Ford and Iacocca, who is given the role of managing the team.
Eventually Shelby wins the argument and Miles is brought into the design team against Ford’s wishes. The combined knowledge of Shelby and Miles creates a contender to LeMans, but there is a problem. A car is only as good as it’s driver, and the drivers selected by Ford, can’t get the performance needed from the car. Given one last chance, Miles drives the car to victory at the last warm up race before LeMans. Miles is then elevated to driver for Ford at LeMans. If you are a car racing fan, hot rod aficionado or into bromance movies, run and see this movie.
The racing scenes, especially when they crash, are super realistic. The corporate back door deals and manipulation is also very real. The idea of not wanting Miles because he’s a non conformist beatnik and not “a Ford man” is probably still around in corporate America today. “Don’t rock the boat, are just do it when we want you to” mentality hasn’t gone anywhere I’m afraid.
Okay, here is my disclaimer. Hubby and I went to see this when I was ill and under the influence of my friend Mr Oxy (I think you know what I mean). So, I’m a bit fuzzy on some parts but Hubby filled me in when I zoned out a few times. But I do remember Matt Damon did a fabulous job as Shelby, and loved that he basically ran the race he wanted at LeMans and turned a deaf ear to Ford’s wishes.
I felt they overdid Miles with his wife, for all the screen time given to her, there was much of a developed character there. I kept waiting for some defining scene with the son, especially at the ending with Shelby’s character, but I was left feeling something was missing. At nearly two and a half hours running time, there could have been some cutting here. Christian Bale did a good job as Miles, but I didn’t think he needed to stretch very fair in his performance.
I will probably rent this when it hits Red Box, just so it fills in the blanks that I missed in the theatre. However, I will not pay to see it again in the theatre. Ford v Ferrari, not a bad film, but not an excellent film is rated B. There are no bonus scenes during the end credits.
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