Ford v Ferrari

Director: James Mangold (2019)

Cast: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, John Bernthal

Matt Damon always delivers. This biopick also delivers the goods, along with Oscar winner Christian Bale. The mid-1960’s was just the beginning of the endurance motor racing craze that still exists worldwide.

Hired by Ford Motor Company’s Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca to build a race car that could defeat the perennial powerhouse Italians in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race, auto designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and hard-charging outcast driver Ken Miles (Bale) lead a ragtag team of designers and engineers in an attempt to do what everybody in the racing world thought was an impossibility: Take down Ferrari.

Along the way there’s backstabbing, bare-knuckle brawling and lifelong friendships taking form under incredible pressure, and the result was Ford’s fastest race car yet, the GT40. And Miles did beat the Italians — but didn’t win.

Opinion/Review: The relationship between Shelby, a former driver who won the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1959, and Miles is at the heart of the film, and both Bale and Damon are at the top of their game. And while the backstabbing can feel a bit contrived at times, you won’t find a more detestable movie villain than Enzo Ferrari.

Fun Facts: Shelby had already formed his own car company, Shelby American, before Ford hired him for the LeMans project. … Bale’s performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a drama. … Due to licensing and distribution issues, the film is titled “LeMans ‘66” in the United Kingdom.