Ford vs. Ferrari
The review of an iconic movie portraying iconic times: the 60s.
Ford vs. Ferrari, also known as Le Mans 66’, came out in 2019 and since then, it has been considered one of the most iconic racing movies ever made. The film received many awards and brought many new fans to follow the iconic 24 hours of Le Mans. The story of how Ford chased Ferrari is beautifully captured along with the bromance of Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles.
The movie is set in the early 60s during Ferrari's domination in most of the racing categories. Henry Ford III’s automotive production is going well, so a retired racing driver and a automotive designer, Carroll Shelby, suggests that Ford should participate in the 24 hours of Le Mans. He believes they are capable of beating Ferrari.
We then go on a journey with Ken Miles - an amateur racing driver and car mechanic. Carroll Shelby makes sure that Ken doesn’t get himself fired and brings the knowledge of European racing into the Ford garage. Christian Bale and Matt Damon portray these two characters, which already says a lot about the quality of the casting. The bromance that these two were able to bring on screen is absolutely incredible and makes both characters hit close to the heart, despite both having their fair share of negative characteristics.
On the other side, we have Ferrari. Their story was not fully explained in the movie. At the beginning of the film, we see Ford trying to buy Ferrari, so they can share a racing programme together. However those negotiations are quickly cut as an inside informant rushes to Fiat, so they can beat the offer. This little detail in the movie was actually a big event in the early 60s, when Fiat bought Ferrari from Enzo Ferrari himself.
Throughout the whole movie, all Ferrari drivers and team members look like stereotypical Sicilian mafia, to put emphasis on the fact that Ferrari are the bad guys. Enzo Ferrari looks like the typical Mafia boss which adds to my previous point. I find that this is quite a funny detail.
Overall the movie captures both on track and off track aspects of racing perfectly while showing the rivalry between the two teams. It deserves all the awards and is one of the best racing movies ever made.
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