If you’re a lover of car-racing movies, you should probably check out Ford v Ferrari—because this film is likely to be one of the last of its kind.
A biopic about the late-1960s rivalry between failing race-car company Ferrari and the “wants to be sexy soooo bad” Ford Motor Company, Ford v Ferrari is about how corporations can’t help but crush the passion and innovation they so desperately need.
In this case, the crushees are race-car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and driving phenom Ken Miles (Christian Bale), both of whom are forced to cajole, finagle, and manipulate the suits at Ford in an attempt to win the famed Le Mans road race.
Director James Mangold (Logan) smartly avoids the emotionally manipulative tricks found in other sports biographies, and Damon and Bale are, unsurprisingly, excellent and affecting. The problem? It’s impossible to ignore the two elephants in this room: The fetishization of white male toxicity and car culture, topics which society is trying to deal with and solve… not celebrate.
This makes Ford v Ferrari a very good movie that, a decade ago, would’ve been considered great. Now it feels like a brand-new film that’s already an antique.
Find theaters and showtimes for Ford v Ferrari here. See all of our movie times here.
