Ford v Ferrari

Rating – 4/4

*SPOILERS*

If you’re looking to watch a film that you know you’ll never get bored of… look no further.

Ford v Ferrari (2019) is the film for you! I cannot overstate how well-made this film is. From the acting to the spectacular racing shots… and don’t even get me started on the editing!

This film is based on the true story of Ken Miles (Christian Bale) & Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) in their attempt to help Ford build a racecar good enough to beat Ferrari and win Le Mans, a historic 24-hour-long race that takes place in France every year. The race tests the durability of the cars, the stamina of the drivers (driving in about 4-hour shifts), and the strategy of the race teams. In their third attempt at finishing the notorious contest, Ford did the unthinkable and finished with all three of their cars up front. Ford 1 - 2 - 3.

Directed by James Mangold, the film was a great success and earned $225 million worldwide at the box office, released in late 2019 (right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic). A cast with great names such as Matt Damon, Christian Bale, and Jon Bernthal was very successful in bringing this true story to life. Phedon Papamichael had the impressive task of pulling off the cinematography for this film… and he absolutely killed it. The cinematography in this film is one of the reasons I’ve watched it more than 15 times. Paired with the unmatchable editing work of Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker, & Dirl Westervelt… a MASTERPIECE.

I’ve shown this film to many people and seen them be planted in their seats with some of them knowing next to nothing about racing 152 minutes prior to pressing ‘play’. Whether a racing fan, like me, or not, there is something for everyone to appreciate in this film.

As you may be able to tell, I don’t have anything bad to say about the film and I want to compliment the choreography of the racing scenes, as they look remarkable. You’re never confused about which car you’re seeing or where the other cars are in comparison. I also want to shout out the attention to detail of the time period by John Paul Jones. Not a single detail was missed and trust me, I catch those errors more than I’d like.

As I conclude my thoughts, I can’t express enough how much I recommend this film. The sound of the cars, the emotion of the actors, and the visual masterclass that this film put out are unmatched.

Start your engines to go see it! NOW!