Le Mans '66 - La grande sfida

Racing champ Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) has to retire due to a medical issue. His racing friend Ken Miles (Christian Bale) is seen as difficult and the IRS has confiscated his garage. Ferrari has been at the top of racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Ford Motor Company finds its sales going stale and Henry Ford II wants a big idea. Marketing VP Lee Iacocca has the idea to enter the race. They first try to buy Ferrari and Enzo Ferrari insults Henry Ford II. Iacocca recruits Shelby to create a racing car and Shelby recruits Miles to be his driver.

This is an old fashion rip roaring good times. Damon and Bale are great. All the actors are great whether it's Tracy Letts being told that he's not Henry Ford or the villainy of Josh Lucas. It's a solid sports underdog story. It's fun like Caitriona Balfe driving crazy. The race is thrilling. It is a perfectly made old fashion movie.

To start off, I have always hated racing. Yes, hated. It think it's a ridiculous waste of resources, and boring to watch. I have zero interest in cars - and thus I know absolutely nothing of the history. I knew nothing of this film beyond reading the blurb before I started watching it, so I was very interested to see whether I would like it at all. I did. Despite being so uninterested in the subject, the film got me interested in the story, and especially during the final race I was on the edge of seat not knowing what would happen. Fantastic acting job from both Damon and Bale, usual. They never disappoint. Excellent writing, directing, cutting, sound editing.. A very whole package overall.

To finish off; I am STILL not interested in cars or racing, but this film stands on its own even so.

Ford V Ferrari is one of the best movies I've seen this year, and for someone who has little interest in cars besides minivans and SUVs, that's saying a lot. Just like the race cars produced by its namesakes, Ford v. Ferrari is sleek and fast; a powerful and expensive machine. A supremely well-balanced combination of corporate rivalry, on-track competitiveness and human drama.

A lot of notes were hit by Ford v Ferrari. The characters are fleshed out very well and give you the emotional attachment you're looking for in a movie. Bale and Damon's performances are great; they pull you into the story and completely disappear into their roles. James Mangold proves, once again, to be a master behind the camera. The action scenes are shot to perfection and will have you biting your nails.

The film's technical aspects were top-notch as well. Wait for this film to be nominated for sound design and editing. These technical aspects, during the climax of the film, will blow your hair back and give you goosebumps.

All in all, this film provides a pleasing experience for the crowd that not many films can even come close to delivering. I loved about every second of it, despite its long runtime.

I've never watched a car race in my life. I have absolutely no knowledge of the historic events surrounding the Ford and Ferrari motor companies. None of those two things mattered in my viewing experience of "Ford v Ferrari". Not only does it allow the viewer to be a complete clean slate, but it provides the utmost of entertainment on almost every front.

For a very basic overview, this movie tells the story of how the Ford Motor Company was struggling in the 1960s and thus turned to racing cars to give their image a boost. The problem? For years, Ferrari has been the gold standard in that theater. But with Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) overseeing the project and the volatile Ken Miles (Christian Bale) in the driver's seat, they set out to take down Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

One of the main strengths of "Ford v Ferrari" is that it tells a bunch of different stories within the basic framework. Not only is it the clash that the title anticipates, but also a story of personal redemption for Shelby, one of personal goal-achievement for Miles, and even a healthy dose of "big corporation screwing over the little guy" thrown in. All of those angles are very distinct, with nothing muddled along the way. The 2.5 hour runtime really helps with this, allowing such arcs to play out in their entirety.

The acting is also incredible from basically the entire cast. Bale gives a unique, quirky performance as seemingly only he can, Damon is solid (as always), and everyone else does their part admirably. Especially affecting are Miles' wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and son Peter (Noah Jupe), who both provide much of the sentimental emotions present in the film. A specific scene where Ken explains to Peter exactly what he does on each individual racing lap is as good as acting gets.

There's also a never-ending sense of forward momentum and just overall fun to "Ford v Ferrari". It never takes itself too seriously, yet it isn't a comedy. It's long, but doesn't feel that way due to the expert pacing--a perfect balance of pulse-pounding action scenes and slower, more emotional scenes within the understated 1960s period feel. Director James Mangold probably deserves a good amount of the credit for making this all congeal together as well as it did.

Overall, this is a spectacular film precisely because it can hit audiences in so many different ways. Whether through the action, emotion, true story, or underlying themes, most viewers will be able to find something to enjoy here. Even if, like I said before, no previously knowledge of racing is present.