Released: 26th December 2023 (UK)
Length: 124 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Starring: Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O'Connell and Patrick Dempsey
The thrill and tension of motorsport has been presented many times on the silver screen; Michael Mann is returning to the sports biopic with Ferrari, presenting the venerable carmaker at its most desperate moment. It hits some bumps along the way but is otherwise an enjoyable release.
In 1957, Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) is mourning the loss of his son Dino to leukaemia and the subsequent deterioration of his marriage to Laura Ferrari (Penelope Cruz). Drifting towards his mistress Lina (Shailene Woodley) and bankruptcy with lingering grief, Enzo and his team of drivers aim to best their fierce rival Maserati and save the struggling company. Like many genre entries before it, much of Ferrari involves intimate drama and shrewd business with the story regularly swapping between the two sides. It’s an effective mix that allows the lead actors to explore Ferrari’s situation fully with plenty of intrigue; one scene where Enzo shows his second son Piero (Giuseppe Festinese) how an engine design works is an effective moment. The climax and subsequent resolution does feel somewhat hollow; with such a serious incident, the film could have taken the time to show the wider struggle to salvage the company’s reputation. Instead, we have a brief press junket then swap back to Enzo and his son for the final scene. For the most part, Ferrari does a solid job of blending family drama with competitive racing; Enzo and Laura’s past dealings are handled with a brief flashback that doesn’t disrupt the pacing and the plot is always pushing forward towards the race that would make or break the company.
Adam Driver is at his usual best with a performance split between the personal and professional. Conducting himself with maturity, Enzo is measured at one moment and forceful the next; between trying to save his company and defusing arguments with Laura and Lina, his strong composure is always emphasised. Penelope Cruz is also great; Laura possesses a great deal of bitterness and animosity throughout the film which often bursts out in arguments. Many of the film’s best moments unfold through negotiations and dialogue, imbuing the drama with both older traditions and religion. There is also a great deal of emotion bubbling under the surface and the film often lingers on Driver and Cruz to highlight their inner turmoil. The Ferrari drivers are deemphasised for the most part and this was a reasonable choice; Gabriel Leone, Jack O’Connell and Patrick Dempsey all deliver simple but effective performances.
Like many contemporaries, Ferrari really pulls the audience into the glitz and glamour of motor racing alongside some brilliant shots of 1950s Italy. The lighting, smart suits and car designs are all picture perfect, an excellent match for the time period. When we get into the racing itself, every angle of the vehicles is beautifully presented. The climax is suitably grand with a combination of in-car shots and large-scale landscapes that increase the scale and momentum. The crash scenes are very brutal in places, but they do suffer from some brief yet jarring computer-generated effects. Recreating an incident as it happened in the 1950s was always going to be a challenge and with the film’s presentation being so strong, these moments do stick out. Everything is tied together by Daniel Pemberton’s solemn and reflective score; it inches in at key moments to match the sense of grief within the characters.
Ferrari delivers an effective chronicle of a family and company struggling to maintain their place in the industry. The film is much more contemplative than previous releases like Rush and Le Man 66, successfully concentrating on the human drama in addition to the race competitions. Fans of biopics and the sporting scene will find plenty to enjoy, though the film could have gone further with the legal and financial struggles, particularly in its final moments.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)
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