Ford v Ferrari

Details: MPAA Rating: PG-13

Cast: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Jon Bernthal, Tracy Letts, Caitriona Balfe

Release Date: November 15, 2019

Pros: To have a movie with Christian Bale and Matt Damon already has high standards to meet. Thankfully, I can say that those standards have been met. As already expected, the acting Matt Damon and Christian Bale present in the film is extraordinary. Bale definitely presented a far more comedic role and he was the underdog everyone was rooting for while Damon was far more relatable. Damon's character had essentially lost everything except for racing which was the only thing he had left and this made him extremely grounded as a character and also added to the audience rooting for him and Bale beating Ferrari and winning Le Mans. Although Damon and Bale were the main focus of the film, it also showed that Jon Bernthal also did an extremely good job as being one of the few trustworthy people in the Ford company. At first, it got some getting used to seeing Bernthal smile but it is a good look on him. As expected the two brilliant actors had just as good chemistry with each other and every scene with them in it is always extremely captivating and enjoyable. James Mangold did an extremely good job with the script in terms of adding just the right amount of comedy but also heart to make an extremely satisfying blend of emotions. Another thing Mangold did right was how he paid attention to the littlest details in every part of the film. With a film 2hr 30min long, it can be extremely easy to miss something but Mangold covered all his bases from the soundtrack adding just the right amount of tension, to the way the film was shot providing the perfect feeling of relaxation or intensity if the scene required it. Finally, the arc of all the characters in the film was executed very nicely especially correlating with the plot of the film and how that evolved into something much more than just winning a race. By the end of the film, the core of the story focused a lot more on how you should always follow your passion and never giving up which resonated really well with me as the audience.

Cons: Although the film is based on a true story, I couldn't help but feel the ending was far too bittersweet. I won't give away too much detail but after almost 2hr 30min of character buildup and seeing how the characters evolved, the ending was a little bit anticlimactic and was a little bit too depressing for a movie like this. To tie into this, I thought the run time for the film was a little prolonged and there were some scenes that the film could have cut making the movie hit a lot harder and it would have been a far more refreshing of a film.

Star Rating: 8/10

Final Thoughts: Although Ford V Ferrari was a little too long and had a very bittersweet ending, the film provided a storyline with inspiring themes, strong acting/chemistry, and ended up becoming an extremely entertaining and heartwarming film.