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In 2019, director James Mangold released the film Ford v Ferrari, which was translated as “The Outsiders”. Cinema made it possible to touch the world of cars and racing, which in the middle of the 20th century was in a very interesting position. Ford v Ferrari comes to mind when it comes to Michael Mann’s Ferrari. But the accents of these films are completely different. We tell you how Mann’s new movie turned out in our review.
Pros:
an interesting presentation of the history of Enzo Ferrari and ideas close to him; many interesting directorial decisions; as a biographical drama, the film turned out to be of the highest level; acting by Driver and Cruz
Cons:
the composition of the scenes, especially in the first half of the film, may seem too chaotic; some strengths are not properly disclosed
7.5/10
Estimated by ITC.ua
“Ferrari” / Ferrari
Genre biographical drama
Director Michael Mann
In roles Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Gabriel Leone, Sarah Gadon
Premiere cinemas
Release year 2023
Site IMDb
The plot of the film is based on the biographical book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine by Brock Yates. The story of the film focuses on a difficult period in the life of Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver). He is struggling with the death of his son Alfredo, and his relationship with his wife Laura has serious problems. The problems are reflected in the situation with the Ferrari factory, which is under threat of bankruptcy. Enzo’s only comfort is his lover Lina (Shailene Woodley) and his illegitimate son Piero. However, Ferrari is not about to give up, so he is betting on the next big race, which should help correct the state of affairs in his business.
When watching or reading the plot, it may seem that the film focuses on a specific period of Enzo Ferrari’s life. But the chosen time is only a prism. If you stick to it, you will find in “Ferrari” an incredibly choppy editing that jumps too chaotically from one scene to another. Because of this, the first half of the film seems to be accelerating, which is ironic, given the impressive speed of Ferrari cars.
“Ferrari” should be seen not as a story about events, but as a story about people. It’s about people, in the plural, because Enzo himself is just the focal point of the script. He is almost always in the frame, but he always plays a leading role in certain scenes. This approach makes “Ferrari” more complex, more difficult to perceive as a film.
Ferrari himself in the film turned out to be a complex character who does not even let the audience get too close to him. Adam Driver has added to his portfolio of roles in another excellent performance, which, however, overlaps too much with his Charlie Barber from “Marriage Story” in some noticeable places. But we really want to be happy for Driver, because he already confirms his status as one of the most talented actors of the current era of Hollywood with his role.
Driver’s talents fade when Penelope Cruz’s character appears on the screen. She seems to be the main star of Ferrari. The actress can convey a whole galaxy of complex emotions with a simple change of look. Moreover, it will not be possible to attribute her to any specific archetype, a lot of nuances are woven together in the image of Laura Ferrari.
Behind the drama of human hearts, the nuances of the automotive industry and the world of high-speed racing take a bit of a back seat. Mann very successfully shows how personal life seeps into Enzo’s public image and work. Ridley Scott’s recent “Napoleon” tried to do something similar, but did it more directly, which made it look insecure and naive in some places. “Ferrari” operates with materials more finely, due to which it turned out to be more penetrating and sincere.
However, both cars and races are present in the film. “Ferrari” does not burden you with all the nuances of the automobile industry of its time. You could argue that this is a missed opportunity, because the few scenes in which Enzo explains complex engineering things in simple language are very appealing. But the movie omits many details, preferring its other advantages.
The race in the film is essentially only one and it serves as the culmination of the entire story. In it, Enzo’s personal experiences and his career ambitions collide with the harsh realities of the times. Here, Mann does not spare his audience much, leaving a very provocative scene for the decisive moment. It stands out sharply against the background of the rest of the timeline and sticks in the memory, instantly changing the tone of the story. And it’s great that Ferrari found a place even for such a moment.
The cinema shows the world of racing without gloss, the wealth of people – without at least a crumb of accompanying relief, and racing cars – without their inherent prestige. And all the same, the local locations are exhilarating. One gets the impression that in Italy it seems impossible otherwise.
“Ferrari” is distinguished by its unusual use of musical accompaniment. Music tracks here are included very sharply, practically imposing their presence in many scenes. But as a result, they create their own unique mood. Even the sound of the music is not quite like standard Hollywood soundtracks. The music of “Ferrari” is more original – as is the film in general.
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Conclusion:
“Ferrari” is a movie primarily about people, not about cars. It shows how thin the connections are in the lives of rich and supposedly successful people. Mann does this through his vision and the excellent acting of the local stars, even if at some points you still want more.
