"Ford v. Ferrari" Review - Feeling The Need For More Speed

As we head into the Oscar season, we are bound to get some Oscar bait films. No matter how good they might be, they just might meet the bare minimum of being a great piece of cinema. That’s exactly what “Ford v. Ferrari” is.

Is it a great film? Absolutely. Is it enjoyable? Totally. Is it memorable? Maybe not so much. It’s a very plain film that tells a super interesting story about how Ford built a car that could beat the Ferrari in a 24 hour race for which the fancy car always dominated in. The film does a great job at keeping your adrenaline up with the terrific sound design that accompanies the races that go on in the film. There’s also some immersive cinematography that truly makes you feel like you’re in the car at many moments, and immersing the audience is one of James Mangold’s strongest successes as a director. Matt Damon and Christian Bale are terrific, but after that, there’s nothing truly new this film offers. It’ll sure get some Oscar Buzz, but it’s a movie designed to entertain people and really explain to the audience what went on in a certain period of time between these two car companies. Sometimes it explains too specifically. They use Christian Bale’s son a lot to basically say things we already know which gets super annoying after a while.

Overall, it will be considered a classic in my mind just as much as Green Book. Enough to make an impact and make you feel good, but not something to be raving about for years and years on end. You’ll feel immersed for a good chunk of time, and those moments will feel amazing. But like all race cars, the speed will decrease at some point and this particular experience won’t be as exciting as others.

One Nebs Up!