Movie review: ‘Ford v Ferrari’

FloridaGator80
A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

Movies about race cars and race car drivers aren’t easy to deliver to a mainstream audience. I’m sure a bunch of folks had a negative impression when they heard the plot of “Ford v Ferrari,” despite its great headliners in Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Well, think again. “Ford v Ferrari” won two Oscars and was nominated for two others and it isn’t because it’s a “car” movie. “Ford v Ferrari” is a true motion picture of depth and it resonates of storytelling about people, not machines. I was sure I was going to enjoy “Ford v Ferrari,” but I found out that I enjoyed it much, much more than expected and for the reason that it is a true film and not just a “car” flick.

‘Ford v Ferrari’
(2019; 152 minutes; rated PG-13; directed by James Mangold and starring Matt Damon, Christian Bale and Jon Bernthal)

WINNING A RACE IS MORE THAN SPENDING MONEY

(NOTE: I expanded this review with additional opinion and trivia and the updating of links on June 19, 2026.)

Before I saw “Ford v Ferrari,” I didn’t believe Matt Damon could pull off playing racing legend Carroll Shelby. I was wrong. I didn’t believe that I’d be able to give high praise to Christian Bale playing opposite Damon. I was wrong. I wanted “Ford v Ferrari” be an entertaining film that would earn high marks from this amateur reviewer. Well, I couldn’t be wrong on all three, now could I?

“Ford v Ferrari” is a somewhat quietly outstanding motion picture. I say “quietly” because its story isn’t the product of superheroes or animation (yes, CGI plays a role, but doesn’t define the movie) and, today, such films are “quiet.” Of course, there’s no real “quiet” in an auto-racing movie, but this is one of those “quiet” films you’ll really enjoy. In the end, I grade it as “outstading.”

A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

The best thing about “Ford v Ferrari” is how it seamlessly blends acting with action. The auto racing and testing scenes are wonderful and are a visual explanation of the core of the film. Along with the visuals, you have sensational work by headliners Damon and Bale and an Oscar-worthy supporting effort by somewhat acting newcomer Caitriona Balfe as Bale’s wife (sadly, she wasn’t nominated).

A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

In a nutshell, the story focuses on the Ford Motor Company’s effort in the 1960s to usurp Ferrari’s dominance in the biggest international race: The 24 Hours of LeMans. Ford wanted to show it could surpass the legendary Ferrari and also had some back story about corporate insults between the higher-ups in both companies – especially personal between Henry Ford II and that icon called “il Commendatore.” You might better recognize him by his name: Enzo Ferrari. Ford wanted to buy Ferrari, but got used by the Italian carmaker.

A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

Well, the meat-and-potatoes Ford company turned to American Carroll Shelby to make its run to topple the exotic Ferrari. He brought along Ken Miles, a Brit noted for his driving and engineering acumen, and they, along with Shelby’s racing team, took up the cudgel for Ford.  Along the way, Shelby and Miles are hampered by slimy corporate weasels such as Leo Beebe, who is portrayed as having hated Miles and ultimately it was his idea of having Ford finish first with three-cars-across at the same time at the LeMans finish line (by ordering Miles to slow down) and cost Miles the victory he had actually earned.

So goes the story, but forget that kind of detail.

A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

The best part of “Ford v Ferrari” is the work of the actors and there’s no work better than what you experience in the relationship of Bale as “Ken Miles” and Balfe as “Mollie Miles.” The two are simply brilliant together and just their scenes are worth the price of admission (DVD rental or streaming cost). You won’t find any two other actors today who could have put up a better or even comparison show for the audience. Both these actors deserved Oscar nominations for their work in “Ford v Ferrari.”

After the Bale-Balfe relationship, the film’s foundation is about Damon’s challenges off the track and with the corporate weasels, yet all the volatility revolves from Bale. Naturally, all the emotion draws from the well of sports car racing and therefore you need to remember this. However, once you do, you can see marvelous actors at work in every scene.

If you don’t know the ending (and it’s not a race), I won’t spoil it here. Just sit back and enjoy the ride … pun intended.

Now, here’s a look at some of the cast …

  • A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

    An Oscar winner and four-time nominee (not for this one) and two time Golden Globe winner and six-time nominee (not for this one), Damon is smooth and convincing here. However, his effort comes in third behind Bale and Balfe because he’s … well, as much like Matt Damon in the “Ocean’s” franchise as he is “Carroll Shelby.” That’s not bad, especially since Damon is such a natural presence on screen. He won his Oscar for “Good Will Hunting” as co-writer of the screenplay and was nominated for it, too as Best Actor. His other nominations came from “Manchester by the Sea” (for Best Picture as co-producer), “The Martian” (click here to read my review) and “Invictus.” I liked him in the poker flick “Rounders” (click here to read my review) and “Saving Private Ryan” (click here to read my non-review), but he was even better in Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” (click here to read my review) and especially Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” (click here to read my review).

  • A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

    An Oscar winner and three-time nominee (not for this one) and a two-time winner and three-time nominee for Golden Globes (a nomination for this one), Bale gives a top-of-resume effort as the excitable driver-car builder. He uses it all: His voice, his expressions and just how he physically comports his character while walking. Bale obviously became “Ken Miles” to project the character the way you see on screen. He IS “Ken Miles.” Actually, Damon could take a few lessons from Bale in how to change expressions in a scene. Bale was in the grisly “American Psycho” as well as being “Batman” in “The Dark Knight” battling the late Heath Ledger’s “Joker.” He was nominated for “The Fighter,” “American Hustle,” “The Big Short” and “Vice.”

  • A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

    A five-time Golden Globe nominee (not for this one), Balfe gives the best performance of all the supporting actors and is so totally natural in her scenes with Bale that you might believe they’re really a couple. While she doesn’t command in a scene, she knows how to best navigate one and stand out while doing so. Balfe, whose first name is pronounced “Katrina,” has only 14 credits at the start of 2020, but her presence shines through in every scene. Balfe, a native of Belfast who was a Victoria’s Secret “angel,” was nominated for her work on the TV series “Outlander” (she plays “Claire Randall”) and she has been in “Escape Plan” and “Crush.” I truly look forward to her work in the future.

  • A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

    A Primetime Emmy winner and two-time nominee, Jon Bernthal plays “Lee Iacocca,” the Ford executive responsible for the now-legendary Mustang sports car and the idea of getting Ford into racing (the real Iacocca is legend in the auto-making business). Bernthal is OK in his work here, but he really doesn’t manage to elevate his game to those around him and I would have liked seeing a different actor in the role. Bernthal has been in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Baby Driver.” He won his Emmy and nominations for the tee-vee series “The Bear.”

Now, a quick look at three supporting actors worthy of note …

  • A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

    An Oscar winner (not for this one), Ray McKinnon plays “Phil ‘Pops’ Remington” and is a textbook case on how good a supporting actor can convey a role. McKinnon, whose character is a car builder, manages to do everything without pushing himself the fore in any scene. Yet, without him, the film would have been less effective. McKinnon won his Oscar for live action short “The Accountant.” He’s also in “The Blind Side” and TV’s “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

  • A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

    Josh Lucas plays backstabbing Ford executive “Leo Beebe” to slimy perfection. Lucas pulls off perfectly the oily countenance of a corporate shill. His character doesn’t get the screen as the “Lee Iacocca” character, but, in most ways, Lucas manages to make his work on the character memorable – always high praise for an actor. Lucas has been in Clint Eastwood’s “ Edgar” and 2019’s “Breakthough.”

  • A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

    A Primetime Emmy nominee, Tracy Letts plays Henry Ford II and plays the tough-minded character to near-perfection. His screen time is OK and he makes the most of every second. Letts knew how to convey the character of a ruthless company boss as well as change gears to weeping after a harrowing ride in the race car with Damon. Letts has been in “Lady Bird,” “The Big Short” with Bale and 2019’s “Little Women.” His nomination was for an episode of the tee-vee series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.”

A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

My only criticism is the length of “Ford v Ferrari.” At a smidge past 2½ hours, its only detraction is that the middle of the film lags a bit. A touch more careful editing would have brought this one in at just about two hours – and that would have been enough.

Director James Mangold doesn’t have a deep CV with only 17 directing credits (and three of those in production or just announced) as 2020 opens, but he sure does know filmmaking and how to tell a story. You don’t get the impression of a director’s heavy hand in any scene and I’m sure to look forward to one of his upcoming directorial projects – and untitled “Indiana Jones” film that’s been announced. Mangold also directed “The Wolverine,” “Kate & Leopold” and “Girl, Interrupted.”

A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

“Ford v Ferrari” was nominated for four Oscars and won two – one each for film editing and sound editing and didn’t win for Best Picture and sound mixing. I can’t say that “Ford v Ferrari” should have won for Best Picture, but either Bale or Balfe deserved it in an acting category.

Oh, by the way … “Ford v Ferrari” is a MOVIE. It is not intended as a documentary about what the film is based upon. Too many times folks lose sight that concept with this kind of film. “Ford v Ferrari” is not intended to give a detailed history of the story. So, as “Sgt. Hulka” said in “Stripes,” “… lighten up, Francis!” if you want to get on a high horse and criticize the detailed telling of the real story. In any case, here are some links that will be useful if you’d like to read further about Shelby, Miles, Ford-Ferrari and inaccuracies in the film:

A promotional photograph from the movie “Ford v Ferrari.”

“Ford v Ferrari” was the 27th ranked film at U.S. theaters for 2019 with $107.1 million in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. Of course, the No. 1 film was the superhero(es) flick “Avengers: Endgame” with an overwhelming $858.3 million (which is way north of 2018’s No. 1 film “Black Panther” with $700 million and way way north of 2017’s No. 1 film “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” with $517.2 million). At No. 2 was Disney’s remake of its 1994 animated hit “The Lion King” with $543.6 million and Disney had seven of the top eight films for 2019 with a cumulative total of a staggering $3.44 BILLION). Here are the other films from 2019 that I’ve reviewed for my blog:

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

  • Damon’s middle name is Paige; Bale’s full birth name is Christian Charles Philip Balel; Lucas’ birth name is Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer; and McKinnon’s middle name is Wilkes.
  • Under an original title of “Go Like Hell,” Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were considered for the film. I’d say that everything turned out just right, but that pairing would have been interesting on the big screen.
  • The Ford company distanced itself from the film because of the depictions of Ford II and Beebe. No kidding. Corporate weasels then; corporate weasels now.
  • The film is titled “Ford v Ferrari” in the U.S., while internationally it is branded as “LeMans ’66” (look above for a poster with that name).
  • Damon said he did the film because he wanted to work with Bale.
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “In preparation for his role, Christian Bale took race driving lessons at the Bondurant High Performance Driving School. As it happened, the founder of the school had been a friend of Ken Miles. So in addition to the driving, Bale also got to hear stories of the 1960s racing scene. Bale’s instructor and the film’s stunt coordinator, Robert Nagle later stated; ‘he’s hands down the best actor I’ve ever trained.’”
  • Bale is said to have lost nearly 70 pounds in getting ready for the part of “Ken Miles.” He had gained weight for his previous film “Vice.”
  • Lee Iacocca, who is a key character in the film, died four months before the release of the movie in November 2019.
  • The scenes at Daytona were filmed at the California Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
  • Click here for IMDb.com’s extensive trivia page about the film …

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