What we have here is not so much a racing movie…
It’s more of solid storytelling of a competitive friendship set AGAINST the world of racing—and marketing.
FORD v FERRARI takes place in the early 1960’s when Henry Ford II saw his company’s sales fall and the entire Ford brand in need of major image building.
Ford’s strategy: To acquire perennially dominant Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari,. and have its name help boost his brand.
Just one problem…Enzo Ferrari nixed the deal.
So now what?
That’s when the eccentric American car boss had his marketing VP Lee Iacocca hire legendary car designer and engineer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and his race car driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale).
Their assignment: To create and construct a revolutionary racing car that would BEAT Ferrari at the grueling 24 hours race at Le Mans, which in turn would bring back the glory to Ford—not to mention to their car sales.
The big test for Ford’s new GT40 would come in 1966, when the Detroit-based manufacturer finally achieved its goal which ultimately led to the very popular Cobra and, of course, Mustang.
So IS there still interest in a story set against the backdrop of Formula One racing in this age of NASCAR?
Tracy Letts as Henry Ford
That’s debatable. But since the back story is so strong in this movie it should create enough interest especially among older moviegoers who still remember.
And while Matt Damon and Christian Bale both give credible performances, it’s Tracy Letts in the featured role as Henry Ford II who almost steals the show. What a piece of work HE was.
Almost forgot…
The actual racing scenes. And there are plenty of them filmed with highly creative and effective camera work that’ll place you right smack in the driver’s seat.
“FORD v FERRARI” opens wide and scores a: B
I visited the Carroll Shelby Museum in Las Vegas a couple years back. Great tour for car enthusiasts. Highly recommend it. The tour guide is great and talks ALOT about the rivalry between Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford. Some historically awesome cars in that place.