Time: 130 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Graphic injury detail, offensive language & sex scenes
Cast:
Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari
Penélope Cruz as Laura Ferrari
Shailene Woodley as Lina Lardi
Sarah Gadon as Linda Christian
Gabriel Leone as Alfonso de Portago
Jack O’Connell as Peter Collins
Patrick Dempsey as Piero Taruffi
Director: Michael Mann

It’s been 8 years since Michael Mann has last made a movie, and he’s finally back with Ferrari, which has been a passion project of his for some time. I knew next to nothing about the subject of the movie, Enzo Ferrari, nor much about the Ferrari cars or racing. However I was interested in the film for the talent involved, including actors Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz. While Mann has definitely made better movies, it is still really good.

Ferrari works pretty well as a biopic. It doesn’t attempt to cover Enzo Ferrari’s entire life, and it isn’t a rise and fall story. Instead, it chooses to focus on a particular moment near the end of his complicated life. It delves into his personal life as he struggles with regrets, the grief over the death of his son, and his complicated relationships with his wife Laura and his mistress Lina, the latter of whom he fathered a child with. There is definitely a prominent racing plotline throughout, but really the movie is more of a complex and intricate character study. It is dialogue heavy and is slowly paced (occasionally dropping into sluggish moments), but it generally flows nicely. I admit that I had issues hearing the dialogue, and I honestly can’t tell whether it’s because of the Italian accents, or if the sound wasn’t always the best. I found it quite interesting and engaging to watch in unexpected ways. While the racing isn’t the main focus of the movie, it is a notable part of the movie, and is most prominent in the third act. Those scenes are thrilling, and the movie really earns them.

The performances are a highlight of the movie. Adam Driver is great as Enzo Ferrari; he embodies and transforms into this cold and calculating man, giving a stoic yet emotive and powerful performance. Stealing the movie however was Penelope Cruz as Enzo’s wife Laura. She is phenomenal here, and I’d go so far as to say that she was among the standout performances from the past year. Both Driver and Cruz work excellently in both their subdued and explosive moments. The supporting cast of Shailene Woodley, Patrick Dempsey, Jack O’Connell and Daniela Piperno are good, even if Woodley is a little out of place here.

Michael Mann’s direction is on point as ever, and unsurprisingly the technical aspects are amazing. It’s very well shot, and makes great use of the locations. Surprisingly, considering Mann’s past work like Collateral, the cinematography here is less reliant on handheld filming and leans more into stationary camerawork. It works well in both the conversational scenes and the thrilling racing scenes. Speaking of which, the racing scenes are incredible, and that is where the technical elements truly shine. Those sequences are visceral and intense, the look and sound are truly amazing. Without getting into it, there’s a particular scene that is effectively horrifying and harrowing, definitely one of the most memorable scenes in a movie from the past year. Finally, Daniel Pemberton delivers yet another fantastic musical score.

Ferrari is a strongly directed and well crafted biopic, boosted by excellent performances from Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz. I’ve been seeing some split reactions to the movie, and I can somewhat understand why. But I do think it’s worth watching at the very least.