Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Starring: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Josh Lucas, Tracy Letts, and Noah Jupe
Grade: A

I bet you if Jerry Krause were alive today, he would’ve supported Leo Beebe’s role in this movie with all his heart.

Summary

To open the film, we see famed driver Carroll Shelby (Damon) win Le Mans in 1959, despite his pit crew accidentally setting him on fire momentarily. Sometime later, Shelby wakes up in a hospital, being told by his doctor that he may be at risk of cardiac arrest if his heart rate jumps up too much. This forces him into early retirement from racing, something he’s clearly not ready for. Following this, we see a Brit mechanic named Ken Miles (Bale) be very blunt with a customer as to why his car isn’t running properly, blaming it on how the man drives his car. Once the customer leaves angrily, Miles is greeted by his wife Mollie (Caitríona Balfe). Elsewhere, Henry Ford II (Letts) gives an angry speech to his advisors and the entire production line, saying he wants a new, groundbreaking idea from someone, and that person can keep his job. Vice President Lee Iacocca (Bernthal) takes notice.

At the 1963 Willow Springs 100, Shelby is now a big-time car salesman and owner of Shelby American. He’s also having his friend Ken Miles drive for his company in the race. Miles’s racing resume precedes itself, though so does his known attitude problems. Right away, we see him piss off the guy doing the trunk inspection, and the guy says he’s putting in a request to get their team disqualified from the race. Dieter Voss (Rudolph Martin), the guy who runs Porsche, talks to Shelby about Miles potentially driving at Sebring but mentions Miles’s reputation regarding his attitude. Shelby tries downplaying it, but they all observe Miles arguing with the inspection guy as he does, and it causes a bit of a scene. Shelby tries to explain the seriousness of the Dieter Voss conversation to Miles, but Miles doesn’t want to hear any of it, even throwing a wrench at Shelby. He ducks, and it breaks part of the windshield of Miles’s own car. Miles loosens up however after seeing his son has come to watch him race. At the same time the IRS show up for Miles at the shop but run into Mollie instead, we see Miles win the race. After watching it all unfold, Shelby gives the wrench to one of his guys and tells him to frame it. That night, Miles is told by Mollie about the IRS visit, and he admits to her they’re broke.

During a meeting at Ford, VP Lee Iacocca tries to do a presentation on taking the Ford Motor Company into bigger known racing competitions not named NASCAR. Senior Executive Vice President and asshole Leo Beebe (Lucas) notes that over the last three years, Lee and his marketing team has presided over “the worst sales slump in US history” and wonders as to why Henry Ford II should even be listening to his pitch. Lee admits they’ve been thinking wrong this whole time. He talks about how Ferrari has won four out of the last five Le Mans and how the brand means “victory”. This could be Ford if they start thinking like Ferrari. Though they’re not sure how long it would take to compete with Ferrari on that level, the fact that Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) is bankrupt opens up an opportunity. As we see Miles come to the realization that he needs to quit racing and get a day job to provide for his family, but Mollie wanting him to continue racing, Lee goes to meet with Ferrari to discuss a potential merger. The initial proposal seems intriguing enough for Enzo, but he becomes ultimately offended when learning about how much control Ford would technically have over him (in the highly unlikely scenario in which Ford could block them from racing in Le Mans if they wanted to) and refuses the deal. Soon after, Fiat buys Ferrari, showing how close Ford really was to that merger. In a private meeting with Ford II, Leo, Lee and his assistant, Lee tells Ford II every disparaging comment Enzo made about him and the Ford Motor Company. This is enough for Ford to make it his new goal to get every top engineer, racer, and whatever else is needed to build the best race car possible and beat Ferrari at Le Mans.

Following this, Lee shows up at Shelby’s dealership on behalf of Ford Motor Company to explain Ford’s intentions and how they’re willing to work with Shelby on creating the best race car the world has ever seen, with the promise of giving out as much money as it will take. They have ninety days. Shelby can’t do it alone though, so he goes to Miles for help. As they talk at a diner, Miles doesn’t think Ford’s idea is possible because he thinks Ford executives will meddle in their business, but he agrees to go to the launch of the new Mustang to hear Shelby’s speech about the racing project. At the Mustang launch, Miles takes his son. Soon after, Miles gets off on the wrong foot with Leo after Leo gives Miles’s son shit for touching the Mustang on display. As Miles trashes the car and how it’s made to Leo’s face, we see Shelby, Lee, and others in a private plane on their way to the Mustang launch. Somehow, Shelby is able to convince the pilot that he should get to fly the plane because he has some experience. Though he lands it, things didn’t look great. Shelby and Lee join Shelby’s crew, Miles, and his son, and Lee introduces them all to Leo. Immediately, things are awkward between Leo and Miles because of their encounter so many minutes earlier. Right before Shelby’s planned speech, Shelby is told by Lee about how there will be a decent amount of interference from Ford executives in the planning of everything (which was obviously not part of the initial pitch), and Shelby leaves angrily. Even so, he does his speech as planned and announces Ford’s goal of creating the fastest car in the world to the public. Miles leaves in a haste.

That night, Miles gets home to find Shelby outside, waiting for him. He drives Miles over to the testing site and has him test a prototype car. He drives it and immediately finds out some problems with the car. The next day on the way back from getting groceries, Mollie questions Miles about what happened with Shelby and flips out on him for not telling her the truth about it immediately. Finally, he admits he was offered the job of helping build the car for $200 a day, plus expenses. Hearing this, she changes her tune and encourages him to take the job. The fun of building the ultimate race car to beat Ferrari has officially begun. Unfortunately, Miles is proven right. The Ford executives meddle in their business every chance they get.

My Thoughts:

Well-acted, directed, and filled with great drama and humor, Ford v Ferrari is an exciting and entertaining true story that is more than a racing film. Not having watched a racing movie in quite some time, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was optimistic. The Oscar buzz was loud, we got two big name stars leading the pack, and the trailer showcased the lighter feel to the otherwise weightier story. It’s not like I was interested in the real-life story to begin with, and the only reason I’ve heard about the Le Mans race was because of the dreadful Steve McQueen movie from 1971.

By the way, this movie blows Le Mans out of the water.

Now after watching Ford v Ferrari all the way through, I’ve found myself not only interested in the history of Le Mans, Carroll Shelby, and the enigmatic Ken Miles, but I’m also finding myself hating Ford more than usual.

A good portion of this movie is about the interference from the Ford executives in Carroll Shelby’s work on the car. You see, it’s a two-way street. Ford wants to be behind the fastest car in the world and wants to give Shelby “carte blanche” in making this dream a reality, but as we know in movies and in real life, there’s always a catch. We learn that no matter what happens in life, the corporations in charge have to find a way to stick it to you. When I refer to this, I’m talking about saboteur Leo Beebe. Apparently, Henry Ford II was never the problem. He had the goal and made it happen, but his VP in Leo works hard in becoming one of the most punchable sons of bitches on the planet! I hated Josh Lucas so much in this role, I might just watch The Lincoln Lawyer again just to see Matthew McConaughey wipe the floor with him. The character has such an ego trip throughout this movie that you want someone to beat the living hell out of him.

This may be a spoiler, but that moment never comes. Shelby gets close though, so there’s that.

Even though Leo knows Shelby is the point man on the project because he’s won Le Mans before, knows what it takes, and knows how to build the right racing car, Leo refuses to give him an inch, purely because his ego can’t handle it. It’s the same reason why he develops a personal vendetta against Ken Miles once he embarrasses him at the Mustang launch. It’s not about good business and doing what’s right for the company, it’s about sticking it to some people he doesn’t like, just to show them who’s in charge. What’s even more frustrating is Ford II’s refusal to step in and tell the dude to shut the fuck up. At one point, Shelby tells Ford II about how badly he wants Miles to be the driver, and Ford acknowledges Leo’s hatred for Miles by saying he’s already appointed Leo to head up this whole project, but I just don’t understand this. He’s the boss…

Why don’t you un-appoint him? Jackass!

Both Matt Damon and Christian Bale were excellent in the lead roles. Bale as the smart-mouthed, tough-minded Brit was especially electric. He’s funny, crazy charismatic, and so damn fun to watch when he’s flipping out on someone, or even yelling at himself or others in his car by his lonesome. As aggressive as he is, he’s also one hell of a family man and watching him change his tune and soften up for his family shows there’s much more than what meets the eye in Ken Miles, a man that can get on any stranger’s bad side in a heartbeat and not give a fuck as he does it. Bale has that type of performance that makes you want to imitate it on the daily to your own amusement, channeling a bit of that energy he retained from his Oscar-winning role as Dicky Eklund in The Fighter. I can’t count how many times I’ve randomly yelled “The bloody door won’t close” while I’m driving (with no one in the car to hear me). It’s a shame Bale faced such stiff competition for Best Supporting Actor in 2019 because he would’ve been easily nominated any other year for this role. If he’s not already ranked up there with the Leonardo DiCaprio’s of the world and whoever else, he damn well should be.

Sometimes, I still can’t believe this is the guy that played Batman. He’s truly a chameleon and one hell of a talent.

Ken Miles is passionate about the stuff he knows and loves and doesn’t mind telling people about it. He’s a veteran and gives no fucks. As you can probably tell, I love these types of characters, and Bale seems to revel in it as well. Sometimes in movies, I can see the other side of the equation like how Leo explains why he doesn’t think Miles is a good image for Ford because of how he acts. On paper, he is a bit of a problem, but I still disagree. This isn’t just because I can’t stand Leo either. Most (arguably all) of the arguments Miles finds himself in are warranted. Sure, his way of going about things is a bit aggressive, but I never thought he was wrong in doing anything he did in this movie. He was being screwed by petty people and situations throughout the entirety of this story. It would be hard not to have these outbursts after a while! He’s a straight shooter, and it’s a likable trait. When you mix it with the bravado and the accent, you get a wildly memorable performance. Miles sees through the bullshit, which is essentially the complete opposite of Ford and the executives in charge. Miles foreshadows everything early on in the film too. When Shelby tells him the plan at the diner, he tells Shelby that the suits at Ford will try to stop them at every turn just because they can, or to please their own boss and whoever else to make themselves look good. He never believed Ford was all-in about the race and the car. The fact that he ends up being right, endears us even more to the spirit and core of the character. He’s harsh, but he’s not wrong. In doing so, it shows us that the real villain isn’t just Ferrari. It’s Ford as well. In fact, the title of this movie could’ve been changed to Shelby & Miles v Ford & Ferrari, and it may have been more accurate.

Matt Damon also deserves special praise for his role as Carroll Shelby, the man with two female first names.

I’m sure his classmates in high school weren’t too kind to him.

With a slightly southern accent, Damon is able to add another fantastic performance to his already Hall of Fame resume as a star actor. He’s cool, calm when he needs to be, and ready to stick to his guns when he has to. Shelby is an easy character to get behind, and Damon’s confidence and believability in the role made us want to root for his team with everything we had in us. Maybe it was the American in me as well, but I loved the underhanded tactics and outside-the-box thinking they gave the retired Texan, especially when he was messing with the Italians during Le Mans in the third act. We see that smirk from Shelby because he knows he got them, and it’s just the right amount of humor to break the tension in the action-packed second half of the film. Damon was very strong in the role, and I loved it when he stood up to those Ford assclowns. Though I wish he did it a little bit more, I understand this was based on a true story, so you can only do so much. When he does stand up, it’s always a great moment. One of the best moments of the film is when he points out to Henry Ford II that despite them failing the race, they went faster than any Ferrari car ever has, finishing his point by saying “You’re welcome” to the already angry Ford II. It was such a ballsy move because we know damn well that he wasn’t in a position to be calling shots since the car failed, but this type of fearlessness and unadulterated confidence is so badass that you gain respect for Shelby in an instant. By this time, we already like him as a character, but Damon turns it up a notch in this scene and shows us he means business. He’s got nothing to lose, so he’s not going to have an issue telling Ford II to his face what the problem is.

Shelby already knows Leo doesn’t like him, but he also knows what he’s doing. As long as he’s given the full authority that was promised to him (at least as it was implied by Lee), he can make Ford II’s dream become a reality, so he walks in there with this attitude, and it wins him over.

Damon’s chemistry with Christian Bale and the love/hate relationship between our two main characters was entertaining enough to carry this film even if all the other stuff wasn’t involved. You understand why Shelby goes to bat so often for the talented but troubled Miles. They’re great friends and it shows, but more than anything else, Shelby is very confident on not being able to do any of this without Miles behind the wheel. At one point, he’s even willing to bet ownership of his entire company with Ford II on Miles winning Daytona, and he does it (“7000+ Go like hell”). It may be that Texan confidence, but it also may be that admiration and respect for a friend and an ultra-talented racer. If anything, I wish we got more of these two hanging out, or was it just enough?

I don’t know, but even in a simple scene like the one where the two both visit the track the night before Le Mans, everything felt so special in a cinematic sense. Not much is said between them, but something about that scene means so much to the film, the characters, and their connection (to each other and us as the audience). It’s the quiet atmosphere of the rained-out track and not a soul in sight, as we watch two men living in the moment in the calm before the storm. It’s just two race car enthusiasts wanting to soak it all up before it’s crowded by thousands of onlookers. They didn’t plan on seeing each other there, but they laugh as they do because they aren’t surprised of either one’s presence. Despite everything they’ve been through up until this point, and the vastly different paths they took to get to that race that is one day away, they are in the moment and just want to be there to observe that beloved track and make sense of their journey before the war starts. The fact that they made it there is a win in and of itself, giving meaning to Miles’s quote towards the end saying, “You promised me the drive, not the win”. The fact that he was there was everything. It’s very serene and an understated moment, showing us how big this is to these characters. It’s the passion for racing, for the love of the game. Their love for the sport is infectious and translates incredibly well to the viewer because of how deeply entrenched Damon and Bale are to the material and these real-life people. I loved it, and Matt Damon was perfect for it. It was easily his best role since 2015’s The Martian and was much more challenging from an acting perspective.

The only major thing I would change is to take the last ten minutes out. I would’ve ended the film at Le Mans with the final scene being Shelby and Miles walking away and talking. Then, I’d throw in the captions to explain the other stuff earlier. Everything after the race felt like a major damper on the film and was a bit off-putting to the final product. You can still touch on the real things that happened, but I don’t think we needed to see the aftermath. It felt a bit overdone.

Ford v Ferrari was one hell of a film. The critical praise was accurate on this one. If you don’t mind the runtime, it’s a very entertaining story that shines a spotlight on events you may have never realized was film-worthy in the first place.

Fun Fact: Initially, the film was to star Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, but the budget made this initial attempt fall apart. Harrison Ford was also approached for a role in the film.