“Ferrari” Review
Adam Driver takes center stage as Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann’s tense biopic “Ferrari”.
While the announced biopic about Enzo Ferrari could have been seen as a way to cash in on the critical and financial acclaim of 2019’s “Ford V Ferrari”, I had no doubts in my mind that “Ferrari” was going to be a completely different animal with the director being the incredible Michael Mann. With Mann being the filmmaker behind such incredible films as “The Thief”, “Heat” and “The Insider”, it’s clear that he strives for intensity in his films whether it’s through adrenaline pumping action or inescapable drama. In the case of “Ferrari”, the film is a relatively interesting film but one that feels a bit underwhelming considering the talent behind the camera. There are aspects of the film that keep it from becoming great, but it’s still a good film to watch if you’re a fan of character studies or just seeing a film about people living on the edge of death.
In 1957, Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) has his back against the wall and finds himself fighting multiple wars with treacherous fronts. With the death of his first child Dino weighing heavily on him and the company he has built on the verge of bankruptcy, Enzo is torn between his duties to his wife/business partner Laura (Penélope Cruz) and to his mistress Lina (Shailene Woodley) and their son Piero (Giuseppe Festinese) resulting in the man trying to carefully maintain a volatile life. With the 1957 Mile Miglia race being his last hope for salvation, Enzo and his team of drivers brace for the toughest challenge of their careers.
As Enzo, Adam Driver continues to astound, adding to his lengthy resumé of incredible performances from films like “BlacKkKlansman”, “Marriage Story” and “The Last Duel”. This is an insanely complex man with numerous facets that I admire and others that I find objectionable. But what draws me most to Ferrari is the passion that he has for his cars and the art of racing. This is not a man who believes in mass-manufacturing but insists on everything being handcrafted and in a state of perfection. There is no second place to this man. As he says to his drivers, “when you get in one of my cars, you get in to win.” With this role, Driver achieves his usual level of intensity which is more than enough to authentically capture this man.
With Penélope Cruz and Shaileene Woodley, Driver takes part in some tense conversations that really give these actors a chance to show off their skills while giving us a strong glimpse into the personal life that drives Enzo’s decisions. Throughout this film, there’s a real sense of tension and Mann showcases that, in the world of auto racing, you can not only die with a swift stroke but you also can be killed by a thousand cuts in the business arena. In particular, Pietro Scalia’s editing, especially for the racing sequences, is intense and it helps the film’s commitment to depicting how carefully balanced Enzo’s life is with just one gust of wind being capable of knocking everything down.
The racing sequences are also quite engaging with Erik Messerschmidt knocking it out of the park with his watchful eye behind the camera. Everything about this film feels real and the crashes are no exception with some of them being so brutal that members of my audience were gasping at their carnage and who can blame them. Back then, safety standards weren’t as strong as a crash during a race like the climatic 1957 Mile Migila was most likely going to be a fatal one.
But while “Ferrari” takes joy in its intensity, the path to getting to this plane is too long. “Ferrari” takes its time to set up the stakes of the film to the point where it feels meandering. Normally, I appreciate it when a film doesn’t need to rush but the pacing could have been tighter to keep this drama riveting.
My biggest complaint with the film is with last 15 minutes because “Ferrari’s” ending felt too much like a soft landing. I wasn’t reeling from the two hours I had just witnessed. I was asking myself “that’s it?” Sometimes I like it when a film doesn’t end as much as it just stops. But usually it stops on powerful emotional moments like in “Lady Bird” or “No Country for Old Men”. I was just curious why the film chose to end when it did.
As is, “Ferrari” is a good film that I think will enthrall fans of movies centered on racing (possibly making it a good companion piece for “Ford V Ferrari”) and those that like cinematic character studies. But with a director of Michael Mann’s talents, what is a good film could have been a great one.
