Film: Ford v Ferrari

GENRE: Action, Drama

RATING: PG-13 for some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 32 minutes

STARRING: Matt Damon (The Martian, Jason Bourne, Invictus)

Christian Bale (Dark Knight, Vice, The Fighter), Jon Bernthal (Punisher)

DIRECTOR: James Mangold (Logan, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma)

WRITERS: Jason Keller (Escape Plan, Mirror Mirror),

Jez Butterworth (Spectre), John Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow)

PLOT: After an insult, Ford spends money to get their car to beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.     

FULL DISCLOSURE: The lead actors and trailer sold me on the film

STORY STUFF: What a rip-roaring good time. I enjoy a good underdog story. I found myself rooting for the characters the whole time. The fact that it’s a true story is the icing on the cake. There’s intensity, drama, action, feel good moments and a healthy dose of humour. The running time is a little long. It takes a while to get to Le Mans; I guess as it should be. I don’t watch NASCAR but I was thoroughly entertained and invested.

ACTING STUFF: Damon and Bale are phenomenal. They have great on-screen chemistry (especially when they’re fighting with groceries). Each of them brings so much life to their roles. Bale plays with a fun accent and milks every eccentricity he can. Damon is solid and brings so much heart to his role. Everyone turns in a top-notch performance but the two leads are the reason to watch.    

ARTISTIC STUFF: I’ll just say that the racing is well shot. Your heart starts pumping into overdrive watching these cars perform. The speed, the shifting, the reactions, the sound. I will say that I found it hilarious when two racers are able to talk to each other mid-race near the beginning. There’s no way they can hear each other. There’s another scene where they talk over a revving beast of an engine. These people seem to have supersonic hearing.  

VERDICT: Five stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You enjoy racing, underdog stories or awesome acting.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood