• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Lieff Ink

TELL YOUR STORY

  • About
  • Services
    • Writing • Editing
    • PR
    • Writing Tutor
  • Words
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Clients
    • Client List
    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Book
    • Accolades
    • Reviews

Ford v Ferrari

November 25, 2019

Usually I read about movies before seeing them but I didn’t read anything about Ford v Ferrari because I literally and figuratively wanted to go along for the ride. Also, I decided that since Oscar winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale were starring in a true story about car racing it had to be good. And it was. The surface premise is this: because the Ford Motor Company is tired of losing to Ferrari in races like La Mans, they bring on a team of American engineers and designers to build a car that will defeat Ferrari. But the real story is the friendship between and determination of Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles.

Although the title of this movie is Ford v Ferrari, it’s really not about the car manufacturers. It’s about the people behind the cars. Damon plays Shelby, a racing driver turned automotive designer who is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang (later known as Shelby Mustangs). Bale plays Miles (hopefully the irony of his last name is not lost on viewers) who is Shelby’s racing driver buddy and the reason that modifying Ford’s cars was successful.

While Shelby is a Texan who disagrees with but understands the role of red tape, Miles, who is described as “difficult,” is laser-focused on creating the fastest and most efficient racing car in history. He is difficult because he mouths off and says exactly what he thinks – not because he puts himself or anyone else in danger. Except for the fact that his work entails driving machines that are designed to operate at 200 miles an hour. Miles has a need for speed but, refreshingly, not in a reckless way. In fact, Miles takes his craft very seriously – no played-out instances of a renegade driver showing up to work hungover or disappointing his family with drug or alcohol addictions. He is extremely devoted to his fabulous wife who supports his dream and his sweet son who idolizes him.

As with most visionaries who don’t have the money to do exactly what they want to do, Shelby and Miles run into corporate pains in the ass who think that image is more important than experience, knowledge, and logic. Josh Lucas plays Leo Beebe who hates Miles because he’s not a “Ford man.” Whatever the fuck that means. As a result, Shelby has to constantly explain to the suits that while they’re all sitting around talking, “Miles is out there getting it done.” He is elbows deep in engines trying to make their car the best it can be, listening to radio announcers talk about race tracks, and tweaking the details night after night.

Shelby and Miles’ best advocate at Ford is marketing guy Lee Iacocca (an excellent Jon Bernthal) who initially comes up with the idea that Ford needs a newer, sexier, and faster look. He helps convince Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) that building the Ford GT40 is the best idea for the future of the company because they want to trounce the perpetually dominant Ferrari at the Le Mans race in France. Ford II doesn’t totally get it until Shelby takes him on a wild ride in one of the film’s most poignant scenes.

Showcasing their undeniable movie star capabilities, Damon effectively exudes strength as Shelby who understands why playing the corporate game (to a degree) will get him and Miles what they ultimately want – a history-making car. Bale (no stranger to going method in all of his acting gigs) is so rail thin that the clothes he wears are falling off of him. Yet he’s the strongest person on screen who delivers the best lines. Miles tells Shelby that “Ford hates guys like us because we’re different” and he’s right. But, in order to make their mark, the two renegades need Ford’s money which means (sort of) playing by their rules. Damon and Bale handle their roles perfectly – it’s especially fun seeing the former in a series of ridiculous shallow cowboy hats and the latter speaking in his native accent.

Action bio dramas are typically a genre I love but Ford v Ferrari is more than just an action flick. Don’t get me wrong – all of the racing scenes are exciting, and somehow are shot in a way that looks like zero CGI was used, but the relationships and examples of determination are what shape the movie’s core. Even if the viewer knows what happens in terms of the plot, the edge of their seat is where they’ll stay. There’s a reason why Shelby Mustangs have been film fixtures – i.e. Gone in 60 Seconds, Charlie’s Angels, Thomas Crowne Affair, Fast and Furious 3, Diamonds Are Forever, and the list goes on and on – because they are synonymous with fast and cool. And that’s because Shelby and Miles made them that way. Watching the history of the cars, the companies, and the two friends who needed each other to succeed makes this movie not only worth seeing, but worth seeing on the big screen.

Laura

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Blog Archive

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010

Footer

Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.
Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.

Work With Me

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
lieff-ink-logo_updated-2
  • About
  • Services
  • Words
  • Blog
  • Client List
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · PO Box 1228 Edwards CO 81632 · info@lauralieff.com