This film is a stylish, lavish but lengthy production.
Detailing the year in which Ford Company, led by Tracy Letts, is hellbent to beat Ferrari after a deal between the two companies falls apart. Ford uses its vast wealth to hire Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) to design a car to beat Ferrari and he enlists his best but temperamental driver, Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to help and race for Ford.
So they set off, and there are setbacks mostly because Ford doesn't trust Ken and Carroll to do the jobs they hired them to do and of course, they have to accomplish the impossible, designing a car that can last for twenty-four hours at an incredibly high speed. It isn't easy but they do manage to succeed, only Ford doesn't want Ken to race because Ken isn't the biggest fan of Fords and isn't the greatest team player and isn't one to shy away from voicing his opinions. So Ford isn't a huge fan of Ken's despite him being the best man for the job.
But they manage to beat Ferrari by figuring out how to completely change the brake system in the pits, so while the victory should be sweet, Ken loses on a technicality. The ending, though is painfully sad but shows how strong the friendship between the two of them is, which is ultimately what this film is all about, loyalty.
Despite the length, which certainly could have been trimmed down, the screenplay is great, allowing the characters plenty of time to breath and develop their fully fleshed out characters. And the art direction is impeccable. This film shows Damon and Bale at the top of their game.Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-There are good supporting performances from Josh Lucas, Jon Bernthal, Noah Jupe and Caitriona Balfe.
-Also of note, only one African American gets screen time and he has no lines.
-We never learn what brings the Miles family to America.
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