Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2020)

GRADE: B+
THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: A terrific sports film expertly crafted and a highly entertaining moviegoing experience.
JIM'S REVIEW: Hollywood's fascination with the race car genre can be seen with varying degrees of success. Famous actors have felt the need for speed in their careers starting with James Garner in the Oscar-winning Grand Prix (1966), Paul Newman in Winning (1969), Steve McQueen in Le Mans (1971), Burt Reynolds in The Cannonball Run (1981), Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder (1990) and Chris Hemsworth in Rush (2013),...not to mention, the highly profitable The Fast and Furious series. Even The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, revved up in some of his crowd-pleasing movies. Yes, it's definitely a man's world and the testosterone runs high. Now we can add James Mangold's exhilarating joy ride of a movie, Ford v Ferrari, to the list. His film is one of the best sport action films about racing ever made. Gentlemen, start your engines!
Ford v Ferrari shows the competitive world of auto racing. Based on a true story, Mr. Mangold sticks mostly to the facts, although he spins his tale a bit to heighten the tension between two racing mavericks, Carroll Shelley, (Matt Damon) a former driver and car designer, and hot-headed British driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) and the suits at the Ford Motor Company and their interferences with them as their sponsors. Everyone's goal is to beat the No. 1 foreign sports carmaker, Ferrari, and put Ford on the map as a major competitive force in the global market.
The story is not your strictly race car movie with fast cars circling lap after lap. The plot does adhere to a predictable formula although the results aren't always that telling. The screenwriting team of Jez and John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller fashion a tried-and-true tale of underdogs fighting against the system, a them vs. us story that works. They wisely do not just rely on the action scenes and take the time to build characters and relationships in between the many terrific racing sequences: the family dynamics of Carroll's wife and son, the budding bromance between Carroll and Ken, the racer and his pit crew, the white collar executives in contrast to the blue collared working man, American know-how vs. European elitism, the psychology and engineering that is involved with this sport. The film tackles bigger issues than most sport movies aspire.
Actually, what added to my enjoyment of the film was my lack of knowledge about the real life events and the people involved. Far from being a race car enthusiast, my expectations about the movie were low and I was pleasantly surprised by this film's visually sweep. Credit the strong production values, fine acting, and masterful direction by Mr. Mangold.
Foremost is the incredible editing by Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland. (Their cross-cutting of race car action and personal drama is a glorious showcase of intense images seamlessly crafted, especially the nearly half hour climactic sequence of the 1966 Le Mans race.) Phedon Papamichael's cinematography is stunning in every angle, FranÃ§ois Audouy's period production design is spot-on, and the sound by Donald Sylvester, Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow brings tension and the needed authenticity to the movie. Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders' music score heightens the suspense most effectively. This is technically superior filmmaking, a well-made sports movie about the love of the sport.
Mr. Mangold's direction is solid if underrated. He crafts his film with style and substance. He also assembles a wonderful cast. Some may not be physically right for their roles but they deliver convincing performances throughout the movie. The chemistry with the two leads is a wonderful mix of contrasting personalities. Mr. Damon uses his likable screen persona and throws in some subtle angst and frustration to his character. Mr. Bale has the showier role but really excels in the film's quieter moments between him and his family. Both are excellent. Caitonia Balfe and Noah Jupe play Carroll's loyal wife, Mollie, and his adoring son, Peter, and they ably provide the human drama. Josh Lucas makes a very compelling villain. Rounding out the ensemble are Ray McKinnon, Remo Girone, JJ Feild, and Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca. Tracy Letts has a memorable spin as the tyrannical Henry Ford II in one of the film's best scenes.
Buckle up, moviegoers! Ford v Ferrari is an action-packed thrill ride and one of the most unexpected pleasures of 2019.