Ferrari - Film Review

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may be aware that I'm a bit of a fan of Michael Mann. Despite my admiration for some of his films, I can't help but admit that many of his most recent films were less than stellar, with Blackhat being particularly disappointing. Given Mann's age, I was concerned that he had given up directing altogether, but those fears were dashed when he announced his return to the box office with this. *Disclaimer: I am entirely unfamiliar with the story of Enzo Ferrari and his company, which could drastically impact how one might enjoy this film.

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Where You Can Find It: Available in most movie theaters, and is predicted to release on Hulu at some point in April 2024.

General Information 
Ferrari is a biopic, which was first released on 25 December 2023. It was directed by Michael Mann and written by the late Troy Kennedy Martin. Erik Messerschmidt was the cinematographer for this film and Pietro Scalia provided editing. Daniel Pemberton handled the music for this film. It was produced by Moto Productions, Ketchup Entertainment, and Forward Pass, with Neon distributing within the US. The screenplay is based off of Brock Yates' biography of Enzo Ferrari: Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine. As of 26 December 2023, it has accrued around $1.7 million at the box office against a budget of approximately $95 million. Per the Associated Press, it is important to note this film was independently financed. Critically, the film holds a 74 Metascore on Metacritic, along with a nearly matching 73% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Story
In the mid-to-late 1950s, Enzo Ferrari (played by Adam Driver) is struggling to keep his world from falling apart. He still grieves for his son, Dino, who died less than a year ago, and his marriage and financial partnership with Laura (Penélope Cruz) is on its last legs. One reason for his marital problems is that it is becoming increasingly harder for him to conceal his lengthy affair with Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley) as his illegitimate son, Piero (Giuseppe Festinese), is getting older. Things are also coming to a head with his company as Maserati breaks Ferrari's speed record and his accountant urges merging with a rival business to stay afloat.

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Enzo needs to get his life back on track or else he risks losing everything

Although his cars are now synonymous with fame and status, it's interesting to see that this story is first and foremost about Enzo. Troy Kennedy Martin presents a captain of industry that demands full control in all things, and bristles when this is not the case. For the most part, the viewers see this in both how Enzo runs his business and how he lives his life. Early on, we see how Enzo demands perfection from his employees while showing little sympathy when they fail him. This too extends to his home life as his mistress and lovechild are neatly sequestered away in a home away from town, while Laura and his mother (Daniela Piperno) reside at his primary house. It is clear for the viewer to see how his need for control has made him the man he is in the film, and it's one of the best parts of the film.

A major theme of this story is Enzo's own theory on duality in that “two objects cannot occupy the same point in space at the same moment in time." At the time, Enzo is remarking on racing, but this also holds true of his family. As the story unfolds, Enzo's struggle to maintain two families becomes harder and harder until it eventually becomes impossible. We see this drama unfold through both Lina's and Laura's eyes as well, but Enzo is almost always the driving force of the plot.

 

As a biopic, it is understandable that the majority of this story centers around Enzo Ferrari, but this does occasionally leave some areas feeling a little under-developed. With the exception of his newest driver, Alfonso de Portago (Gabriel Leone), most of the supporting characters get little development. It is possible this lack of development is intentional as Enzo seems to care little for his workers, but I would've liked to have seen more dimensions to De Portago and the other drivers.

 

Special Effects/Atmosphere

One of the most defining features of a Mann film is in how visceral the action can get. Whether it's a firefight in Heat or a taxi cab flipping over in Collateral, Mann knows how to capture the raw aspect of what that looks like. I was curious to see how Mann would bring that level of power behind what I assumed would be a relatively tame biopic about a race car manufacturer, and he certainly delivers. More than once, Ferrari demonstrates just how dangerous racing used to be in the mid-twentieth century, and Mann does an excellent job of both astounding and horrifying.

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Michael Mann has a history of depicting fast cars and action, and that experience shows

 

One area I was a tad disappointed in was Ferrari's scoring. Pemberton does a fine job, but Mann's films typically have incredible music that highlights nearly every scene. This may be one of his first that I've seen that didn't have memorable music to back it up. Where it lacks in music, the film makes up for in magnificent vistas of the Italian countryside. Most western audiences are likely most associated with places like Rome, Venice, and perhaps Florence, but Mann gives viewers an excellent view of Modena, Italy (near northern Italy) and its surroundings. Each of these locations are a treat to see and I was particularly impressed with how he filmed much of the scenes surrounding the Mille Miglia race in the final act.

The Acting 

Adam Driver absolutely embodies Enzo Ferrari's larger than life image. Playing a character like Enzo requires an actor that can bring gravitas that shows just how intimidating and driven the tycoon was. Driver's ability to convey both a cold detachment and a red-hot intensity is only accentuated by how he towers over nearly everyone else in the film. I'm unsure how tall the real Enzo Ferrari was, but I respect Francine Maisler's decision to cast Driver as he nails every facet of his role.

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Driver practically towers over the rest of the cast as the larger than life Enzo Ferrari

Despite having been in the acting game for some time, the last time I saw such great delivery from Penélope Cruz was in 2001's Blow. Her chemistry with Driver is excellent and she personifies Laura's pain and grief of having lost a child while also having to deal with an unfaithful husband. Every scene Cruz is in shows a woman that's nearing her wit's end and viewers couldn't help but feel the agony reflected in her eyes.

It may be due to Cruz's excellent performance that I have very little positive to say about Shailene Woodley's contribution as Lina Lardi. I never found Lina to be all that interesting as neither the actor, nor the script, gave me much reason to. Woodley feels out of place with an accent that doesn't quite work and little chemistry with Driver. For a story about a man caught between two women, Woodley's portrayal of Lina failed to properly make a case as to why Enzo loved her. Were it not for Piero's Giuseppe Festinese, one might have left the theater questioning why Enzo had ever considered leaving Laura.

The Best of the Best: Adam Driver's performance as Enzo Ferrari is exceptional.

The Worst of the Worst: Shailene Woodley fails to shine in any meaningful or memorable way.

Calhooey Score: 7/10 - Good

Would I Recommend?

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Michael Mann is back in the driver's seat!

Back when I reviewed Blackhat, I worried that Michael Mann had hung up his director's cap and would retire with a whimper instead of a bang. It's unclear if he's retiring, but this is a return to form that hasn't been seen for quite some time. Ferrari is a story about grief and moving on. As someone who isn't even much of a car guy, I liked this film more than I expected I would and I absolutely recommend seeing it in theaters. This one is worth the trip.

Spoiler Comments

• It's crazy how much we take safety standards in vehicles for granted nowadays when we see just how dangerous competitive driving was back then.
• Seeing Castellotti get launched out of his car at the beginning was a great way of showing just how dangerous the business was.
  
• I think Enzo intentionally forgot to get De Portago's autograph because I think he both appreciated and resented the driver's fame. I found it interesting that we never see Enzo give Piero the autograph even after it was signed.
• I loved that scene of Enzo posing in front of his car with Linda Christian and De Portago where he pulls Linda closer so that his car's emblem is clearly visible.
  
• Since I had no prior knowledge of the events of Ferrari's life, I had no idea what to expect during the Mille Miglia.
• The way De Portago was portrayed had me assume he was that would be the eventual winner at the finish line. It was pretty jaw-dropping when it turned out he was the driver connected to the infamous Mille Miglia crash.
• I was starting to think Laura might actually shoot Enzo when she learned about Lina.
  
• I had no idea that Piero Taruffi (the oldest driver) was played by Patrick Dempsey! I thought he looked familiar...
  
• Considering the state of Enzo's family life at the beginning of the film, I somehow doubt he would've had his two sons associate much.
  

References

(1) Ferrari. (2023). Ferrari cover image. IMDB. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3758542/?ref_=ttspec_ov.

(2) Ferrari. (n.d.). Enzo Ferrari at Mille Miglia image. SkyTG24. Retrieved from: https://tg24.sky.it/spettacolo/cinema/2023/12/14/film-ferrari-cast#00.

(3) Evans, J. (2023, December 27). Ferrari racing cars at Mille Miglia image. IMDB. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3758542/news/.

(4) Chang, J. (2023, December 22). Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari image. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-12-22/ferrari-review-michael-mann-adam-driver-penelope-cruz.

(5) Tudo Sobre Eventos. (n.d.). Ferrari cars racing image. Retrieved from: https://tudosobreeventos.com.br/?q=enzo-ferrari-the-man-and-the-machine-will-be-mm-r63BQysw.