Ferrari is the story of Enzo Ferrari trying to save his name and company in 1957 with the Mille Miglia. Directed by the iconic Michael Mann and starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, Ferrari is a strong last-minute entry to 2023, albeit with some warts.
Starting with the good, the pacing of Ferrari is near perfect for the story. It is extremely engaging and I never felt like the movie dragged or rushed itself. The action, while some of the effects are noticeably cartoony, was truly exhilarating. The racing stunts were great to watch and here is where I thought the editing was at its best as well. From shots of the drivers shifting gears to shots of the cars bending around turns, the movie is visually impressive.
I am a big fan of Adam Driver and I liked him a lot as he became Enzo Ferrari. He always has a presence on screen that demands your attention. With Mann announcing that he is working on a Heat prequel with Adam Driver as his potential lead, I am very excited to see them work together again.
Penelope Cruz stood out among the talented supporting cast. As Enzo’s estranged wife, she brought a fierce tenacity that went toe-to-toe with Enzo and had him on the ropes at times. Especially in the scenes where she gets to rage or sadness, she dominates her screen time.
I am not a big racing fan or car guy, so the portrayal of what happened at the 1957 Mille Miglia was new and shocking. I had heard and seen the “Kiss of Death” picture before but I had no idea of the context behind it. Being completely raw to the real-life events truly helped me become fully immersed in the story.
That all being said, the story’s framing was confusing to me. It’s not a biopic about Enzo as it only focuses on this one event. It’s not a retelling of the tragedy because the movie doesn’t spend much of any time characterizing Alfonso de Portago or Piero Taruffi, the two most consequential pieces of that race.
Ultimately it was about the brief time before the race where Enzo was going broke and needed the race to breathe life back into his company. It doesn’t even focus on the backlash Enzo got after the crash, as the movie only goes on for another ten minutes after that.
Mixed in there are heavily dramatic scenes between Enzo and his wife Laura. He needs the cash infusion but she owns shares and their conflict goes much deeper than just fighting for the company. I thought the movie thrived when Cruz and Driver were together fighting with each other and there could have been more of those scenes for my liking.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I did enjoy Ferrari a lot. Even if I was confused about what the movie was supposed to be about, the racing scenes were incredibly engaging, and at times I realized I had been holding my breath. The movie’s pacing was great, and I’d recommend this.
