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Ford v Ferrari
First rate production values and some flashy performances notwithstanding, 2019's Ford v Ferrari is a slightly pretentious and overly talky sports docudrama that isn't nearly as interesting as its creators think it is, providing sporadic entertainment and somehow earning a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
This fact-based chronicle is about an American race car designer named Carroll Shelby who teams with a former driver and ace mechanic named Jim Miles to build the world's fastest race car to compete with a Ferrari at the 1966 LeMans, but are receiving major interference from their corporate sponsors, the Ford Motor company, as well as their own contemptuous relationship.
First of all, as a technical achievement, this film is incredible...there is so much skilled cinematic handicraft put into the mounting of this film. Stunning photography, editing, sound (it received Oscar nominations for sound mixing and sound editing) cannot be denied, it's just a shame that the subject matter being showcased here was as interesting as the craftsmanship behind the project. It seems that fans of stock car racing would be in heaven here, but for those uninitiated regarding the sport, this film is pretty rough going, This reviewer actually got drowsy during the first third of the film, which laboriously introduces the characters, who are all painted in black and white. The good guys and the bad guys are clearly delineated here, providing few surprises along the way.
The long-winded screenplay by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, who wrote the criminally mediocre Black Mass is merciless in its utilization of mechanical terminology to the point where there are times we really haven't a clue as to what's going on here.
There are some strong performances, especially Christian Bale as ticking time bomb Jim Miles. It was refreshing that Bale was afforded the opportunity to employ an accent closer to his actual one. Matt Damon never gets blown off the screen as Carroll Shelby though, providing a solid combative chemistry with Bale that rings true throughout. They actually have a fist fight about halfway through the film that was probably my favorite scene in the movie. Mention should also be made of Tracy Letts as Henry Ford II, Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca, and especially Josh Lucas as the slimy Leo Beebee, but I'm pretty sure this film would be a lot more interesting to racing fans. And I have to say that the film provides entertainment, but I don't get the Best Picture nomination.
First rate production values and some flashy performances notwithstanding, 2019's Ford v Ferrari is a slightly pretentious and overly talky sports docudrama that isn't nearly as interesting as its creators think it is, providing sporadic entertainment and somehow earning a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
This fact-based chronicle is about an American race car designer named Carroll Shelby who teams with a former driver and ace mechanic named Jim Miles to build the world's fastest race car to compete with a Ferrari at the 1966 LeMans, but are receiving major interference from their corporate sponsors, the Ford Motor company, as well as their own contemptuous relationship.
First of all, as a technical achievement, this film is incredible...there is so much skilled cinematic handicraft put into the mounting of this film. Stunning photography, editing, sound (it received Oscar nominations for sound mixing and sound editing) cannot be denied, it's just a shame that the subject matter being showcased here was as interesting as the craftsmanship behind the project. It seems that fans of stock car racing would be in heaven here, but for those uninitiated regarding the sport, this film is pretty rough going, This reviewer actually got drowsy during the first third of the film, which laboriously introduces the characters, who are all painted in black and white. The good guys and the bad guys are clearly delineated here, providing few surprises along the way.
The long-winded screenplay by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, who wrote the criminally mediocre Black Mass is merciless in its utilization of mechanical terminology to the point where there are times we really haven't a clue as to what's going on here.
There are some strong performances, especially Christian Bale as ticking time bomb Jim Miles. It was refreshing that Bale was afforded the opportunity to employ an accent closer to his actual one. Matt Damon never gets blown off the screen as Carroll Shelby though, providing a solid combative chemistry with Bale that rings true throughout. They actually have a fist fight about halfway through the film that was probably my favorite scene in the movie. Mention should also be made of Tracy Letts as Henry Ford II, Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca, and especially Josh Lucas as the slimy Leo Beebee, but I'm pretty sure this film would be a lot more interesting to racing fans. And I have to say that the film provides entertainment, but I don't get the Best Picture nomination.