Do I know a lot about motorsports, racing and cars? I know a bit. Did I know about Ferrari’s racing team that entered the 1957 Mille Miglia? Not a clue. But do not worry, not many do outside the motorsports realm. Ferrari excelled and pulled ahead of other historical dramas on the Italian racing dynasty in some respects. Although I never read the book this film was based on (Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine by Brock Yates), it still finished strong.
The film followed the founder of Scuderia Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari, during the summer of 1957 when a lot was happening in the icon’s life. He was grieving over the death of his son Dino, his marriage with his wife Laura was rocky while maintaining his relationship with his lover and second son, and his company was on the verge of bankruptcy. With Enzo’s back against the wall in all forms, he never wavered. He was always about keeping the company and his family safe.
I found the story to be profound and drove the point of what it needed to say about Enzo’s life. While it would have been nice if the real-life F1 team did well this year to honour Enzo and this film, Ferrari reminded me of why the racing dynasty surmounted a lot of challenges and controversy. The narrative does not shy away from the darker, questionable choices of Enzo or the people around him. This was the driving factor that has kept me watching the historical hit Netflix drama The Crown. I desired the need to be able to feel what was going on in these peoples’ lives, and Ferrari accomplished that craving splendidly.
I thought the core cast each got to shine in their own ways, which consisted of Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) as Enzo, Penelope Cruz as Laura Ferrari, and Shailene Woodley as Lina Lardi. Each actor was able to have either one or more memorable monologues or prolific speeches in their interactions or discussions. Driver’s Enzo was a fierce, strategic portrayal of the Italian CEO. He really displayed Enzo’s passion for motorsports, being a driver himself in his more youthful days. Woodley’s Lina brought a calm, warm-heartedness to Lina—especially since she mothered the next heir to the company with a son of her own with Enzo.
“Ferrari excelled and pulled ahead of other historical dramas on the Italian racing dynasty in some respects.”
But I do have to say Cruz stole the most attention with her portrayal of Laura. I have not really seen much of Cruz’s work since Murder on the Orient Express, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Zoolander 2. While those were some fun characters, this one was a showstopper. Her ability to bring the crazy with Laura was both fearful and fascinating. I could only imagine how much trouble the real Enzo Ferrari had been in being married to her! But it made sense since they lost their son—the worst tragedy for a parent.
The musical composition by Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Enola Holmes) really set the tone for every scene well. There was only one scene where either the sound editing was a little questionable because it was loud over the dialogue, and I do not mean the roar of the engines drowning out anyone speaking. On the note of engine sounds, this movie was filled with some awesome-sounding cars. Not only the roaring engines but the visuals of the classic crimson Ferrari cars back then were a spectacle to see!
“Ferrari delivered a hard-hitting story that provided as much drama on the track as it did off the track.”
The cinematography was no joke, either. I felt the warmness of Italy through the way the landscape shots were filled. The way the camera tracked the tiny details of characters was on point, and I trusted that the director, Michael Mann, could deliver some cool shots of driving. Mann brought the “heat” with this one, for sure. He just knows how to film action-packed driving scenes; it is the reason I liked a lot of the car scenes in Public Enemies or Collateral. Mann kept the pace up when he needed to in Ferrari, and it worked for me.
The CGI/VFX work was a little dodgy at times, but nothing detrimental to the experience. The slow-motion effects seamlessly flowed and made a lot of sense from a storytelling aspect. I think Mann did a great job showing the speedy moments as much as he did slowing it down for the audience to soak in what is happening.
As the film reached the checkered flag at the end, I was left with a lot of reeling emotions. Mann’s fast-paced storytelling all the way to the end had me happy, shocked, and touched—all from the last ten or so minutes. Ferrari delivered a hard-hitting story that provided as much drama on the track as it did off the track. I believe Mann created another well-told biographical film as he did with Will Smith in Ali. While I am befuddled by its Christmas day release, it is definitely a present for those interested in learning about a pivotal moment for a historical man in racing legacy.
