A NEED FOR SPEED

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2020)

One of the most favorite genres of film has always been the sports film. Inevitably those films almost always revolve around the struggle of the little guy against the giant, be it the favorite team to win or the corporation trying to stomp out the individual. One of the least popular sub genres in this category has been the racing film. Only a handful have been successful. To that list we must now add FORD V FERRARI.
The film opens with driver Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) winning the Le Mans in France in 1959. Due to health issues he can no longer drive and sets up his own car company, Shelby American. Years go by and at Ford's owner Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) is upset because Ford has yet to come up with a successful sports car. Prompted to push for something new Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) suggest they look at the youth marker which appreciates foreign cars.
Ford attempts to buy out the now bankrupt Ferrari but it's merely a ploy for Ferrari to raise their value before selling to Fiat and insulting Ford. This pushes Ford II to appoint a team to create a new car to race on the circuit, especially at Le Mans. The man Iacocca suggests lead that team is Shelby.
But Shelby has people to bring along as well. One of those is Ken Miles (Christian Bale), perhaps the best driver in the world but one with a reputation for being difficult to work with. Early on we see this when the two have a disagreement. But if anyone can pull the best out of Miles it's Shelby.
They go to work, assemble the best there is at designing their new car and find themselves butting heads with the Ford team at the start. This team uses computers and gadgets to measure things. Shelby and Mile's team knows their car, inside and out. A bit of ribbon and duct tape and they can prove the point they want to make as opposed to scouring through hours of computer data. This results in them all working together towards a common goal.
This team creates the first major racing car for Ford, the GT40 Mk I. But not everyone at Ford headquarters is on the same page. Executive Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas) is more concerned about advancing his career and does what he can to throw a wrench in the works figuratively. He convinces Ford to not include Miles on the team. Miles predicts that none of the Fords in competition at Le Mans will win and his prediction comes true.
When Shelby is called on the carpet by Ford to explain why they lost to Ferrari, he explains in no uncertain terms that it wasn't the car that was the problem as much as not having the right driver. To prove his point he makes a deal with Ford. Let them continue to work on the car and if Miles can't win the race at Daytona, he'll sign over his entire company to Ford.
Miles does win and it looks like everything is a go for both Shelby American, Ford and Miles. But once again Beebe inserts himself in a position he knows nothing about. He's wrangles his way into the head of the foreign racing team for Ford and seems bound and determined to put Miles in his place rather than allow the team to succeed.
It all boils down to the second year at Le Mans with the new Ford GT40 Mk I and Miles onboard as one of the drivers. The 24 hour race commences and it isn't long until Beebe tries to derail the team. This time though Shelby refuses to bow down and keeps things moving properly. Now it's up to the team and Miles to make Ford a name to be reckoned with in the racing world.
Racing fans will know the outcome of the film. Not being a race fan I came at the film from a different perspective. What I walked away with was having watched a movie that was amazing from start to finish. The film might include some amazing race photography but it doesn't focus only on that like many racing films do. Instead it tells the story of two men and their struggles to achieve a united goal of winning Le Mans in a car that they were responsible for creating.
Both Damon and Bale add two more roles to their already long list of accomplishments. How neither won for their performances here is beyond me. The heart and soul of these two men is on display here in the film and it draws the viewer in rooting for them until the final moments of the film.
I missed this one in the theaters, not really wanting to see it that bad. They should have promoted it more. It was truly one of the best films of the year and deserved more attention. With it available on disc now is your chance. This should be the one you look for this weekend.