Absolute, flawless masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2019)

Once in a while, there is a movie that gives you hope that Hollywood has, finally, broken its addiction to sequels, reboots, adaptations and other "reinventions". A movie of such technique, panache, storytelling and outright acting prowess that catapults it into the realm of The Classics.
Ladies and Gentlemen, James Mangold and his team of craftsmen have delivered this rare jewel of a movie.
A linear journey into the lives of racers (Shelby and Miles), executives (Iacocca and Beebe) and visionaries (Ford and Ferrari), locked in a battle for racing supremacy, raged in the grandest of arenas: Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. A battle where each screw, each bolt and each suspension inch can make or break the journey to the top.
A battle that is waged by figures terrifically played by a fantastic cast of actors, first amongst them a performance for the ages by Christian Bale as Ken Miles, who clearly signifies that he is on the prowl for another slew of awards. Matt Damon shines as Shelby, although he reaches summits mostly when interacting with the aforementioned Bale. The Miles family also benefits from excellent performances, that of Noah Jupe as his son being among the most touching one given this decade.
Commenting at length on the rest of the performances would take too long, but there is not a single solitary performance that is off or even slightly broken. Of special mention is those of Tracy Letts as a gruff but driven Henry Ford II, and a "bravo" for the ages for Remo Girone, who does Enzo Ferrari incredible justice with such a short screen presence, conveying the pride, passion and dignity that characterized the life of the Modena-born engineer.
This review would not be complete without commenting on the meat of the movie: the racing sequences. These are going to enter in the history of moviemaking as "magnum opuses" of the genre, with the gorgeous lighting, crisp editing, roaring sound effects and effectively timed musical addendums turning the 20-minutes-or-so Le Mans racing sequence into a masterful art work in and of itself, no small feat.
In retrospect, and quoting Kingsley Amis, we are in the presence of a flawless masterpiece".