In equal measure, Michael Mann’s Ferrari excite, bore, and perplex, leaving one with the unavoidable question: was it any good?
Enzo Ferrari, played by Adam Driver
Let’s attempt to infer some answers. Of course, the goal of any review is to clarify this question and advise if it is worth 131 minutes of your time.
Let’s start with a big plus: Ferrari never performs poorly. Adam Driver really shines in the title role of Enzo Ferrari, bringing to light the flawed genius of Il Commendatore with a thoughtful performance.
Penelope Cruz also does a fantastic job portraying Laura, the bereaved and resentful wife, while Gabriel Leone gives a standout performance as the main , Alfonso de Portago.
Yes, there are instances when the Italian accents falter and it can be challenging to understand everything said at first, but these problems become less noticeable as the movie goes on.
Without getting too detailed, the 1957 Mille Miglia is the focal point of Ferrari and is essential to the company’s continued existence as a car manufacturer. A secondary but still central plot that describes Ferrari’s failing marriage to his wife and the secret of his mistress Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley), with whom he has a son named Piero (Giuseppe Festinese), is presented, offering some off-track drama.
If you were hoping for exhilarating racing from beginning to end, the information above is probably not going to surprise you. It gets worse when you learn that the trailer contains a good amount of the racing action. It’s true that there is some unannounced wheel-banging, but it only lasts for a minute and ends before it really gets started.
Positively, when the cars are on track, the volume is increased to maximum levels. This writer saw Ferrari in a movie theatre, and it literally gave you the chills!
However, and this is a word that seems to be attached to most things about Ferrari, the annoying cliche of simply shifting gears or applying more force to overtake is used frequently, and when the race does, at last, start ninety minutes into the movie, the positions of the cars are disorganised and hard to follow.
The breathtaking beauty shots of these legendary cars speeding through mountains can only take you so far in compensating for all of this.
The two main crashes that form the basis of the movie have horrifying computer-generated imagery. In the first, it appears that a humorous stuffed toy rather than a person has been thrown from the car. Both involve a single car flying through the air. This immediately removes you from what is meant to be a highly impactful moment, and the terrible quality nearly made this writer laugh.
In the second, even though nine people, including five children, died in the incident, which has a high shock value, the computer graphics falls short of evoking any of the anticipated emotion.
But this is more than made up for by the truly horrific practical effects of the aftermath.
Apart from the racing, this writer was confused by two abrupt and jarring scenes and an unsatisfactory ending. The pace also frequently slows to a crawl when not at the track; one particularly noteworthy moment shows Cruz staring silently into the middle distance for far longer than was necessary.
The main characters’ conversations always advance the plot, and as was already mentioned, excellent acting could have been greatly condensed.
Ferrari offers a genuinely look into one of the most brutal eras in motor racing history, despite this run of bad press. Could the pace be more appropriate? Indeed. Was there really a chance for more racing? Indeed. Would more racing have improved the narrative? That is up for debate. It is undoubtedly far from ideal.
In the end, taste will determine whether or not you will enjoy Ferrari. This will satisfy your desire for something in the vein of Rush, but it won’t completely satisfy you.
But this will give you a behind-the-scenes look if what you’re really after is more of Ferrari the man than the company.