By 
A WELL-ACTED DRAMA THAT
STALLS MORE THAN ACCELERATES
The appeal and fascination of sport motorcars has had an everlasting appeal to many for many different reasons. The adrenaline rush of high-octane speeds, the mechanisms and gears of what happens “under the hood”, the elation feeling of escapism from reality, and the powerful thrust of racing. Motorheads and other car aficionados have different expressions and ways to fall for such automotive desires for their passions, experiencing a euphoria that many can’t quite describe. Naturally, this “need for speed” has drawn the attention for Hollywood, with studios “racing” towards the finish line and trying to emulate that pulse of engines revving and brakes screeching, while mixing cinematic flavoring of theatrical drama into the mix, with some pulling from real-life and others fictionalized. This includes 1966’s Grand Prix, 1971’s Le Mans, 2006’s Cars, 2013’s Rush, 2019’s Ford v Ferrari, and 2023’s Gran Turismo just to name a few. Now, Neon (as well as STX Entertainment) and director Michael Mann present the latest film to explore the passion and dynamics of sports motor racing in the movie Ferrari. Does this movie accelerate to the finish line or does it stall around the first bend?
THE STORY
Set in 1957, Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), after founding his automobile business in Italy, is finding himself in a difficult position with both his company and his family. Finding challenges to secure wins during the racing circuit and to brining the brand name of Ferrari to the main stage of the world, Enzo recognize that all is not well within his organization, requiring a major win at the upcoming Mille Miglia race to help maintain control his company as financial woes begin to mount, with possibilities looming of taking on partners for the first time. Meanwhile, Enzo is feeling the pressure from his wife, Laura (Penelope Cruz), with both still grieving over the loss of their only son, Dino, and their martial unions fractured because of it, but the reality of managing Ferrari company keeps them together, with Laura’s tough attitude capable of handling her husband’s professional needs and ventures. To help cope with matter of the heart, Enzo has a lover in Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley) and a son in Piero (Giuseppe Festinese), looking to keep this “second family” of his of view from both the public limelight and from Laura’s attention, while reality begins to sink as the man face soon confront to acknowledge parental responsibilities to his illegitimate son. As his domestic issues begin to increase and come to a head, so does the company’s racing needs, with Enzo and his Ferrari team gear up for the Mille Miglia, knowing it could possibly be his last great stand as individual or for the brand name of Ferrari to belly up completely.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
The need for racing, the spirt of competition, the adrenaline of freedom….all of these things are the stuff of what makes motorcars sport racing alluring to many, especially for those who get behind the wheel of such a high-octane machine. While I am not so much of a car person in real life, one can simply appreciate the nature of the sport from a spectator’s point of view or (in the case of this review) to live vicariously through others, especially in the form of cinematic entertainment. Naturally, Hollywood has taken an interest in such fast-paced sports endeavor, building around such events with spectacular effects and melodramas to attempt to capture the heart and spirt of freedom on both the wide open road, but, more importantly, in the modern coliseum tracks of paved manicured asphalt. Of course, I do have some personal favorites of mine in this group of sports motor racing dramas. I know that everyone does give the necessary acclaim to 1961’s Grand Prix, which was one of the first movies to showcase the intense driving circuit (as well as cinematic direction) from such a sport, but there have been others that have match the same. While 2006’s Cars, though while a kid-friendly animated endeavor from Pixar, still introduces the world of competitive racing and how that world can be quite a daunting task of balancing a professional career and a private life, 2013’s Rush gives a closer cinematic look into a rivalry between two formula one race car drivers and how they careers take them on different challenges and obstacles along the way. Coinciding with that, 2019’s Ford v Ferrari presents an interesting company rivalry between two car building companies and interesting interworking of the Ford company as they compete at the Le Mans racing in 1966, while 2023’s Gran Turismo showcases the indomitable passion of racing as young video game player try racing real life race cars to prove the “sims” are just as effective as professionals. Though are just some of few personal favorites as I’m sure there are other ones out there that clearly showcase and demonstrate the thrills, dangers, and escapism of racing. Much like what the character of James Hunt says in 2013’s Rush “The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel. It’s wonderful way to live. it’s only way to drive.”
Naturally, this brings me back to talking about Ferrari, a 2023 biographical drama and the latest film to present a narrative to be focused on the thrills of motor racing sport competition. I can’t exactly remember when I heard about this project, but I do recall that hearing about a movie that was going to focus on the head of the Ferrari company (Enzo Ferrari) and that actor Hugh Jackman was going to play the titular founder. Before that, however, actor Christian Bale was playing Enzo and (after doing some digging) the movie has had quite an arduous journey of getting to the big screen, with the inception of it all beginning back in 2015. The project would stall here and there (Bale dropped out and replaced Jackman) and before long Jackman would exit the project as Adam Driver was brought on-board to replace him. The same with actress Penlope Cruz, who was brought onto the film to replace actress Noomi Rapace. After several delays, the project was up and running with director Michael Mann at the helm. After hearing about that initial tidbit of Jackman leaving and Driver coming onboard, the feature went silent. In fact, I really didn’t hear much about Ferrari until the film’s movie trailer began to appear online. Interestingly, as many times that I go to the movies on a frequent basis, I actually never saw the trailer for Ferrari in theaters (during the “coming attractions” previews). As for the trailer itself, it looked pretty good, with the preview showing a mixture of racing sequences as well as character drama, especially from the film’s two main leads (Driver and Cruz). Thus, I was quite curious to see how this movie would shape up to be and was looking forward to seeing Ferrari when it was set to be released on December 25th, 2023. I had to wait a few weeks after its release due to my work schedule load and one or two more weeks after that to get my review done for it as well. Now that I have cleared my head and gotten some other reviews done and completed, I am ready to share my thoughts on the film. And what did I think of it? Well, it was just okay. While the intent is there for some intense racing car driving sequences and a good character study piece amongst a few key players, Ferrari is a feature that is misguided in what it wants to focus on with too many subplots and characters to fully juggle at the same time. There’s definitely an interest point that the movie wants to make, but it feels a bit mundane and inconclusive to fully encapsulate Enzio Ferrari….and that’s a shame.
Ferrari is directed by Michael Mann, whose previous directorial works include such project as The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, and Public Enemies. Given his “mixed reception” had on his last movie (Blackhat), Mann has been somewhat “absent” these past few years, emerging with quite an ambitious biographical character study presentation to examine the life of Enzo Ferrari, the man behind the famous Ferrari company. In this regard, I think that Mann did a good job as Ferrari, despite some gripes that I have with the project (more on that below), is indeed better than Blackhat. Mann approaches the subject matter of Enzo Ferrari as a biographical character study, peeling away at the titular man, who was more concerned with racing and the reputation that his company has in European circuit rather than looking at his domestic life. It’s quite a bit interesting to see such a different take on such a figure and how he tries to confront such forces (interna and external). Quite frankly…. I didn’t know much about Enzo Ferrari, so I was quite interested (and invested) to see how Mann present the movie in this cinematic examination of his character and personality towards everyone. Likewise, I didn’t know much about the company of Ferrari beyond a few snippets here and there that are mentioned in Ford v Ferrari feature. Thus, Mann captures a man of few words and depicts a life of determination of being excellence without quality, which the Ferrari name brand has become.
Of course, one of the big (and main) attractions that many would come to see this movie is the action sequences….or rather the car racing sequences that are showcased in the story. Rest assured; Mann does do a great job in highlighting these scenes. While not as “flashy” as some other racing movies out there, Mann makes these sequences come alive with plenty intense zippiness and thrilling camera angles to help make these moments come alive with great effectiveness. The accelerating of the engine, the spinning of the rubber wheels, and the fast pace of it all…. Mann does make these action scenes work well throughout the movie. This is made even clearer towards the end of the film (during the third act) when Mann captures the Mille Miglia race in the feature, depicting some great imagery that feels raw and exciting to watch. Perhaps the only downside is that I sort of wish that there were more shown in the movie…. or rather if there was more focus on the racing aspect rather than characters (more on that below). Overall, Mann’s Ferrari poses some interesting insight in Enzo Ferrari’s life, showcasing a layered character study behind the man and the determined struggle factors that shape the man’s life from in his both professional and private life.
For its presentation, Ferrari does look quite like and almost picturesque throughout the entire endeavor, recreating a cinematic Italian background (circa late 1950s) that feels real and organic in and out of the film’s story. Mann and his team don’t “overhype” or “oversaturate” the feature with glitzy and glamour nuances of its setting, but rather keeps the film in a sense of realism, projecting the Italian setting beautifully in a mixture of “old world” picturesque scenery, 1950s clothing / style aesthetics, and a bit run-down nuances to make the film’s world feel believable. In this case, the movie succeeds greatly as Mann and his team creates a very “lived in” world that’s quite pleasing to look at. Even better, the film’s locations took place in Italy as Ferrari’s principal photography took place in both Modena and Brescia, which offers up some great picture-esque scenery in both its countryside and city landscape. Thus, the feature’s “behind the scenes” key players, including Maria Djurkovic (production design), Sophie Philips (set decorations), Massimo Cantini Parrini (costume design) as well as the entire hair / make-up team and the entire art direction department for their efforts in making Ferrari’s setting come alive in such a vivid and cinematic real way. In addition, the cinematography work by Erik Messerschmidt, especially when he captures most of the racing sequences through the usage of interesting camera angles and dynamic usage of cinematic nuances. Lastly, while the film’s score, which was composed by Daniel Pemberton, gives a solid representation of a movie soundtrack throughout the entire picture, with a mixture of intense dramatics for racing sequences and softer character driven moments, the movie does offer a few Italian style songs in and out of the feature to help provide (and heighten) the narrative’s background and aesthetics through its presentation.
Unfortunately, Ferrari, despite its attempts, does run aground with script handling and narrative execution, which draws criticism within the feature’s progression and scope of the tale being told in Enzo’s life. How so? Well, for starters, the easiest one that the movie struggles are found within the script shaping and how Ferrari presents its various characters throughout the plot. The script, which was penned by Troy Kennedy Martin, takes the 1991 biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine” by journalist Brock Yates and tries to examine a lot of different aspects and facades that Enzo faces in this particular point of his life. Naturally, such a dynamic and diverse position that the character faces gives way for some “substance” in the movie’s plot, but the screenplay by Martin does seems to struggle in trying to encompass everything. How so? Well, the roster of characters in the movie are too numerous and too vague, with the film not giving enough time to fully introduce such people and individuals, who are real people that play a part in Enzo and his company, which renders most of the supporting players on the project one note and forgetful. I had a difficult time trying to remember all the various characters, which is never a good thing. Plus, the strenuous task of trying to examine everything in this part of Enzo’s life becomes a bit of daunting task as the script waters down certain plot threads, clunkily handling narrative plot points, and just generates a rather uneven presentation that doesn’t give any type of proper closure as many were hoping for. It’s decent at best and could’ve been a whole lot better if there were more time to delve into Enzo’s life better and those who surround him in a better cinematic / filmmaking way.
Another problem in the movie would have to be the overall pacing for the feature and how sometimes the movie lingers a bit too much on certain scenes more than it should. Concerning the former criticism, Mann struggles to find a proper balance of excitement and dramatic elements or rather in how it effectively manages to make sequences enticing. Yes, he certain does do so in a few key areas of character interactions (mostly between Enzo and Laura) and in almost all the car racing scenes, but for everything else…. the movie languishes away, demonstrating a rather a dull and boring production that doesn’t know how to keep up excitement and / or intrigued beyond a few snippets. This ultimately makes Ferrari feels sluggish at times and uneven throughout, which is most apparent in the second act of the movie, which proves to be the least interesting and gets too much “bogged down” with bland melodrama. Even worse is that Mann doesn’t know how to “spice up” such sequences, which renders the middle portion of Ferrari rather boring. The other criticism point that Mann does oddly throughout the picture is holding the camera on certain scenes for far too long than intended. I do get why he does it, especially when trying to capture character performances from the cast by showcasing dramatic poise or facial expression. However, this ultimately backfires in a rather negative way, with these elongated scenes a bit clunky in how they are handled and slightly awkward, creating some “dead space” within these moments that really don’t go anywhere. I think that Mann is a capable director, but his work on Ferrari seems a bit “off at times”, with the director struggling (much like Enzo Ferrari) to balance his life when forces (internal and external) are trying to demand his attention. In short, the movie isn’t quite as stellar or exciting as it should’ve been.
Lastly, the film’s ending leaves a lot to be desired and ends in a rather incomplete fashion and to be quite honest rather abrupt. There is a drawing point of conclusion that Mann and his team shape the narrative of the feature to be and to close out the movie, but that very same ending feels quite underwhelming, especially since the third act’s climatic point leaves much to examine or rather the fallout / resolution of it all is left unseeing. It’s like the movie did not know how to end and tacking on more would overextend the feature in its entirety, despite it being of paramount importance to Enzo and the entire Ferrari company. Thus, the somewhat “rushed” conclusion of the feature feels rather incomplete and doesn’t exactly end on a great way.
The cast in Ferrari is sort of a mixed bag, with many of the selected acting talent involved on this project are able (and willing) to participate on this film with plenty of gusto and theatrical screen presence throughout. However, barring the main leads, many of the supporting characters on the film are rather thinly sketched and don’t have much screen time to make for a lasting impact, getting lost in a multitude of stock-like characters / personas that run around various scenes without little to no context of their importance. Perhaps the best that the movie has to offer is found within its two main “headliners”, with actor Adam Driver and actress Penelope Cruz, who play the characters of Enzo Ferrari and his wife, Laura. For Driver, who is known for his roles in Marriage Story, The Last Duel, and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, he has certainly made a name for himself in the decade, appearing more and more frequent in lead roles. This is most apparent with this movie as Driver certainly does “carry” the movie on his shoulders, leading almost every scene that he’s in and nailing in correct manner. The straightforward and “business-like” demeanor that he gives Enzo is quite effective and gives plenty for Driver to play around with, especially in his facial expressions. Perhaps my only complaint is that he was a bit too rigid and stiff in the few moments where more emotion and dynamics needed to be portrayed in the character. Driver is always good at doing subtly, so he pulls it off well, but I think the character (more from Mann’s end) needed to be less robotic at times. Plus, I do find interesting (amusing) that Driver uses Italian style accent (whether that is accurate or not is up for debate) his Maurizio Gucci that used in House of Gucci. Overall, I felt that Driver was great as Enzo and brought enough screen presence and character motifs to make his portrayal at the man who started the Ferrari company.
Likewise, Cruz, who is known for her roles in Volver, Vanilla Sky, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is another capable acting talent with her career speaking for itself in such iconic and memorable performances in various titles. So, to see Cruz starring opposite Driver in Ferrari and playing such a “meaty” character was quite riveting to see. Like Driver, Cruz is a great acting talent, who can cultivate such a dynamic performance from a character, who could’ve been portrayed as a generic “jealous” wife. As it happens, Cruz rises above such conventions and makes woman who is frustrated with her husband infidelity, grieving over the loss of their son, and a harsh business savant. Such a multi-façade persona gives Cruz the ability to create such a dynamic character in the movie. Plus, it’s quite hard to make Cruz, who is quite strikingly beautiful, have such a plain and bit worn looking appearance as Laura Ferrari in the movie. So, great job from the hair / make-up team for doing such great work on her physical appearance. All in all, Cruz was great as Laura and proved to be quite the “scene stealer” in almost every shot she was in.
Perhaps another great strength that is found within these two acting talents is in their on-screen chemistry with each other. While both Enzo and Laura don’t like each other as much in the film, both Driver and Cruz deliver some great dynamic (almost magnetic) on-screen interaction with each other that helps build upon both their respective talents in their acting as well as their characters that they are portraying. Whatever the opinions of the movie having more time allotted for characters rather than racing scenes, there is no denying the fact that both Driver and Cruz were great in their interactions.
Looking beyond those two, the other big recognizable name in the movie would actress Shailene Woodley, who plays the character Lina Lardi, Enzo’s mistress and her child, Piero. While Woodley, who is known for her roles in Divergent, The Descendants, and The Fault in Our Stars, Woodley has been appearing more and more in more prominent roles / movies throughout her character, which makes her a capable actress within many of her performances. However, in the case of Ferrari, I believe that Woodley is simply a miscast. As stated, her acting talent is fine, so she doesn’t overact or give a bad performance or anything of that nature, but she doesn’t seem to fit the role of Linda correctly. Plus, Woodley can’t real convey the correct accent for the character, which comes off as a bit wonky right from the get-go. Moreover, of the three big recognizable names attached to the feature, Woodley seems to be a little bit out of her depth when it comes this particular character role. I mean…. Driver and Cruz are perfectly casted in the respective roles and do command every scene. Woodley, however, is just a simply miscast as Linda Lardi in a character could’ve been a better more “meatier” in acting performance for the character. As a sidenote, young Giuseppe Festinese (Santa Lucia) does a good job in playing the role of Piero Lardi, Linda’s son / Enzo’s illegitimate son.
Sadly, the rest of the cast, including Sarah Gadon (Dracula Untold and Belle) as actress Linda Christian, actor Gabriel Leone (Dom and Dark Days) as race car driver Alfonso de Portago, actor Jack O’Connell (Unbroken and 300: Rise of an Empire) as British race car driver Peter Collins, actor Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy and Enchanted) as Italian race car driver Piero Taruffi, actor Michele Savoia (Good Gals and Unlockdown) as Italian race car driver Carlo Chiti, actor Lino Musella (The Hand of God and Gomorrah) as Italian automobile designer Sergio Scaglietti, actor Domenico Fortunato (Munich: The Edge of War and Spectre) as Maserati automobile maker Adolfo Orsi, actor Jacopo Bruno (making his debut with this movie) as Omer Orsi, producer / actor Erik Haugen (Racing the Sun) as race car driver Edmund “Gunner” Nelson, stuntman / actor Ben Collins (No Time to Die and Wonder Woman 1984) as British Formula One driver Striling Moss, stuntman / actor Wyatt Carnell (Ford v Ferrari and Don’t Worry Darling) as German race car driver Wolfgang von Trips, actor Andrea Dolente (Murder Mystery and The Bureau) as race car driver Gino Rancati, actor Giuseppe Bonifati (Nudes and I Hate Christmas) as Giacomo Cuoghi, actress Daniela Piperno (We Can Do That and Bread and Tulips) as Adalgisa Ferrari, and actor Tommaso Basilli (Devils and Rise of Empires: Ottoman) as Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat Gianni Agnelli, don’t really have much to make a lasting impression on the feature. These players, which are, more or less, side / supporting characters in the film, don’t really have much context beyond moving the plot and / or interacting with Driver / Cruz in the feature. To be fair, none of them give any type of bad performances, but the movie (as well the script) doesn’t give much screen time for these characters to “elaborate” further on them, despite being real-life people who played a part of Enzo’s life or participate in Ferrari, which is disappointing. In truth, I felt a bit lost in trying to remember all of their names because the movie doesn’t do a good job in establishing them for their importance, which (again) is disappointing and rather confusing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The man behind the name of Ferrari is a legacy that matches with excellence and precision as one Enzo Ferrari faces struggles from both his professional and private life in the movie Ferrari. Director Michael Mann’s latest film takes a closer look at the “man behind Ferrari”, depicting a very precise man, whose steely demeanor and tactical business savviness made him infamous as he tries to balance matters of racing and family duties, while trying to keep his business afloat. It’s a character study piece that excels when Driver and Cruz are on-screen, especially together, as well as some of the action scenes that Mann presents during the racing sequences, but the project is weighted down due to some clunky dialogue written, unbalanced narrative directions, bland secondary characters, and an incomplete ending. Personally, I thought that this movie was just mediocrely okay, but a bit on the disappoint side of things. As mentioned, it was indeed interesting to learn more about Enzo Ferrari on both his personal life and professional career, facing all different challenges on all sides, but some of the melodrama nuances that the narratives projects in the film feels quite boring and should’ve focused a bit more on the racing aspect. It just felt like a boring movie that could’ve been so much better if it was handled (and shaped) in a different way. Thus, my recommendation for this movie would be a somewhat “iffy choice” as some might like this movie a bit more than me, but, for mostly everyone (including me), a preferrable pass would be effective. In the end, while sports drama racing movie will continue to be produce and showcase the “need for speed” as well as the dangers / triumphs that come with such intense adrenaline, Ferrari stands as a biographical drama that languishes a bit too much on the sideline of things; a well-acted film that stalls more than accelerates to its own finish line.
3.2 Out of 5 (Iffy-Choice)
Released On: December 25th, 2023
Reviewed On: January 16th, 2024
Ferrari is 130 minutes long and is rated R for some violent content / images, sexual content, and language
