Movie Report Card: Ford v Ferrari

Date: 11/15/19
Title: Ford v Ferrari
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Josh Lucas, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Noah Jupe

GRADES

ACTING: 90
DIRECTING: 90
SCREENPLAY: 85
EDITING: 90
CINEMATOGRAPHY: 95
SOUNDTRACK: 85

FINAL: 89/B+

COMMENTS

Ford v Ferrari is an enjoyable look at this true tale. Both Christian Bale and Matt Damon, carry this thing all the way to the finish line. While James Mangold does a great job here, it's in the racing scenes where he really gets to flex his muscles. The Le Mans sequence alone, is among the best racing stuff I've ever seen on screen. However, the story here can feel really cliche', and it tends to bog down quite a bit of the pacing. That being said, it is indeed Damon and Bale, who sell the lulls in the film with their charismatic performances. It's a shame really. It probably doesn't help matters, that Josh Lucas, is such a one-note caricature here. Both his character, and the Henry Ford II character, are so damn unlikable, that it can be hard to root for the main cause. On that note, the story becomes one of Bale's Ken Miles, and rooting for his cause. Whether on purpose, or by accident, it works either way. By the time we end, it's a poignant look at this rivalry, and the men and women who helped make it so.