Ford v Ferrari | Film Review

Hey Guys x

I really wanted to see this when it first started advertising, way before I knew that it would be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Of course, that was mainly because I'm a huge fan of Matt Damon. So I saw it even though I didn't know what the story was about, and don't have a particular interest in cars.

When automotive designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) hires race car driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to race Ford cars against the cars of Ferrari, neither of them could guess how important this race would become.

If I hadn't seen any reviews of the film before seeing it, I think I would have been pleasantly surprised. But because it's been getting amazing reviews and people have been saying how great it is, I felt a bit underwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn't as amazing as a lot of people are saying.

The first thing I noticed (and loved) about it was the use of sound. You never really think about how powerful the sound of a car engine is, but this film really makes you think about it. The sound acts kind of like a punctuation mark, making you stop and giving you time to digest what you've just seen.

Another thing I loved was the drama of the story. You absolutely do not need to be interested in cars themselves to understand or enjoy what's happening - though it probably would help.

Not only is the cast great in and of itself, but there is such great chemistry between Damon and Bale. Without them, this film wouldn't have been half as enjoyable as it was. They played off of each other really well, and I had no trouble believing their friendship.

Speaking of their friendship, the movie was filled with tension. This tension made the pressure of the final race so much so that the audience felt like they were somehow involved - like they had stakes in the final result, and that was amazing.

Having said that, I kept thinking that this story wasn't the most interesting to tell in the first place. While you don't have to be interested in cars in general, I feel like a bit of interest in the Ford vs Ferrari saga would help to make the film more entertaining. If you don't care about the final race (or the build up to it), then you feel like the film is wasted on you.

In addition, there are definitely points throughout when you feel like you're watching the same scene happen over and over again, and after a while this does get a bit tedious.

However, the plot gets a lot more compelling in the last hour, and the ending, although sad, is very satisfying.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this film, whether you're interested in the genre or not. If anything, just for the scene where Damon and Bale fight each other using a loaf of bread!

6/10

Lou