Director Michael Mann casts Adam Driver in a troubled study of legendary Italian race car maker, Enzo Ferrari. Mann chose to show just a 1957 snapshot of Ferrari’s life at a time when the company built by Enzo and wife Laura was on the verge of financial ruin and so was their marriage. It is based on Brock Yates’ 1991 biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine. But this take on Ferrari seems rushed and bounces around from crisis to crisis covering a 3 month period. In actuality, the events in the book took place over more than 10 years.
First scenes show Enzo’s background and past in newsreel style in black & white before WWIIwhen he was a celebrated race car driver for Alfa Romeo. It’s gets to where we meet Adam Driver’s Enzo with slicked back hair, sunglasses and his uneven Italian accent, very much as it was opposite Lady Gaga in House of Gucci.
The script adapted by Troy Kennedy Martin interweaves 4 threads showing a man who was in constant conflict with himself. There was the death of Enzo’s son, Dino who died at the age of 24 from Muscular Dystrophy. It still tears him and his wife apart. He is frustrated with his inability to complete a 50/50 merger with Fiat. Plus, he had a burning desire to beat Maserati in Formula 1. And away from the race track, he faced romantic struggles trying to balance his loveless marriage with Laura (Penelope Cruz) and his ongoing relationship with lover Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley) and their young son, Piero Lardi. Woodley is very subdued and gets lost playing the other woman.
Driver has moments where he makes an honest connection with his character and the camera, but it’s inconsistent. In contrast, Penélope Cruz seethes as if on fire as wife Laura. She still stands by the man she once loved, but challenges him with gusto. As Laura, Cruz gives a much more powerful picture of a woman whose heart was once able to love, but tragedy and betrayal by Enzo has robbed her will to love again.
Mann tries to flesh out the man a bit more, giving him a deep religious faith to balance the ice cold businessman behind the sunglasses. It’s impossible to compare this film or Adam Driver’s very intense characterization of Enzo with the 2019 thrilling race car dramedy, Ford vs. Ferrari. That film, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale was more a buddy racing film told from the Ford Motor perspective, and included some great racing and humor.
Although this film is beautifully shot especially when showing the picturesque Italian countryside, this film is rather humorless. The vintage cars on display are the stars for aficionados who appreciate the design and craftsmanship of these beasts made almost 70 years ago. You get to feel what it’s like to drive cars with such incredible power racing on the edge of disaster.
The horrific crash scene during Mille Miglia race and the graphic slo-mo pan across the bloody path of destruction and dead bodies plays like a gruesome ballet on the screen. If you aren’t familiar with the history, we won’t give away the shocking results of who wins or dies.
Patrick Dempsey plays the veteran of Ferrari’s team, PIero Taruffi. He is engaging in a different role than you expect from this year’s Sexiest Man Alive. He is also a race car driver in real life. Ferrari keeps Taruffi on the team even though he doesn’t think he can compete with the younger “hot shots.”
Driver does allow emotion to bubble to the surface when it comes to the competition on the race course. Enzo is driven (pun intended) to win whenever his cars tires hit the pavement, even at the cost of drivers’ lives. Three of whom died during the racing season of 1957.
Except for the fiery performance of Penélope Cruz, Mann seems to put a lid on the emotional component. Adam Driver has the same tight-jawed countenance throughout. We just wish Ferrari was more full throttle entertainment.
Neon 2 Hours 10 Minutes R
Related posts:
Ford v Ferrari Stunt Coordinator, Robert Nagle
Ford v Ferrari
Knives Out Writer/Director Rian Johnson talks about having the whole cast on the set
THE CAMPERS AT THE SUNDANCE PREMIERE OF CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THE FILM.
Interview with Waves stars Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Taylor Russell and Writer/Director Trey Edward Shults talking teen angst, family and sound design.
Gran Turismo
