In the run-up to the F1 movie releasing in June, we at OverTake have been reviewing a lot of motorsport films and this month, Luca has chosen the Michael Mann-directed Ferrari starring Adam Driver as the lead.
Enzo Ferrari, a real figurehead in motorsport who has - as Lee Iacocca put it in Ford v Ferrari - rightfully gone down in history as the greatest car manufacturer to have ever lived. With that being said, he was a polarising and harsh figure who rubbed people the wrong way, as evidenced by the circumstances that spurred Ford to take them on at Le Mans, and the birth of Lamborghini who were merely a tractor manufacturer beforehand.
The man himself has been portrayed by a bunch of actors in various projects, most notably by Sergio Castiletto in a 2003 miniseries. There was an attempt by Clint Eastwood to do a movie with Robert de Niro in the role of Ferrari, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside, and Michael Mann - famed director of Heat - refused to sit idly by and let someone claim his passion project that he had been wanting to do for years.
After tapping the likes of Christian Bale (who played Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari) and Hugh Jackman for the role, it eventually went to - quite aptly - Adam Driver (Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy). Starring opposite Driver is Penélope Cruz (Oscar winner for Vicky Cristina Barcelona) as Ferrari's wife Laura, and Shailene Woodley (The Fault in Our Stars) as his mistress Lina Lardi.
Just to get it out of the way, if you are going into this movie expecting thrilling high octane racing action, you will be severely disappointed. The movie is a drama before a sport or action film, and it is not until the latter third of the runtime that you get anything resembling that. Therefore, do not go into it thinking that the movie is an exhilarating thrill ride all the way through, you will not be getting it.
With all that being said, just because it is not an exciting action film does not mean it is not enjoyable. Firstly, Adam Driver was very strong as Ferrari, albeit he does kind of stick out like a sore thumb as it is quite clearly Adam Driver in a lot of old age looking prosthetics. Nevertheless, Driver nailed the calm intensity and presence that il Commendatore had, although his cold and calculated nature does kind of work against the character having an effect on us as the viewers.
In stark contrast, Penélope Cruz truly blends in to her role as Laura Ferrari as the fire to Enzo's ice. She really brings her A-game and many scenes with her and Driver do feel like an intense chess game being played out in front of the audience. Discounting the driving shots, the segments featuring Enzo's wife are the ones I find most enjoyable. Same cannot be said for his mistress, Shailene Woodley honestly feels rather miscast in this role, she really does not fit in this movie.
There are plenty of other characters worth briefly mentioning, as there are a lot of faces you will recognise in this movie. But we will save that for later.
Whilst it does not make up the majority of the film, the racing scenes are amazingly done. The cameras are placed right in the cockpits of the cars, it may be rather tame but in its own way, the racing in this movie is still very raw and unfiltered with amazing editing and sound implementation, not at all overly stylised that you would come to expect in most racing movies.
For all you classic racing car geeks, try to spot and name all of the cars shown in this movie. Image: NEON
With all that being said, there is the one glaring issue with the film that has been brought up countless times. The movie does depict some gruesome fatal accidents, such as the ones that killed Eugenio Castelotti and Alfonso de Portago (as well as his co-driver and many spectators). Whilst the movie makes no attempt to downplay or gloss over the harsh reality, their presentation left something to be desired.
Both seem to defy the laws of physics, and the latter's CGI effects were so blatant that it had been likened to scenes in the infamous terrible racing movie Driven. As a result, any attempt of showcasing how brutal these tragedies were are rather undermined. It will most likely take the viewers out of the movie for a moment.
Next up is Alfonso de Portago who plays a major part in the movie, the Spanish nobleman is portrayed by Gabriel Leone. If that name is ringing a bell but for whatever reason you cannot put a finger on where, it is because Leone portrayed another racing driver: Ayrton Senna in the Senna miniseries.
Ferrari features a range of names known in racing circles, and Dempsey is known for both movies and racing. Image: NEON
Racing for Ferrari's main rival Maserati in 1957, Stirling Moss is in this movie and is portrayed by Ben Collins who was Top Gear's second Stig. You may also recognise him from the Ford v Ferrari movie in which he portrayed 1967 F1 world champion Denny Hulme, who was Ken Miles' teammate in the 1966 Le Mans race. So that is two movies in which Collins has been in opposition to Ferrari.
Eugenio Castelotti is portrayed by Marino Franchitti, 2014 Sebring 12 hour winner and brother to 3-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti. Then there is 1958 F1 world champion Mike Hawthorn, who may not feature in the movie prominently but when he does appear, those who watch Formula D may know who plays him: Samuel Hübinette who was 2004 and 2006 Formula D champion.
Plus, there is a scene where a car is being driven by former Grand Prix driver and 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours overall winner Marc Gené, although it is not specified if he is portraying anyone in particular.
There are plenty of good scenes but still rather surface level skimming, and ultimately maybe nowhere near as interesting as the earlier mentioned Ferrari miniseries from 2003 with Sergio Castiletto in the lead role.
Which other motorsport movies should we review and what do you think of the Ferrari movie? Let us know in the comments below, and join the discussion on our forums!
Enzo Ferrari, a real figurehead in motorsport who has - as Lee Iacocca put it in Ford v Ferrari - rightfully gone down in history as the greatest car manufacturer to have ever lived. With that being said, he was a polarising and harsh figure who rubbed people the wrong way, as evidenced by the circumstances that spurred Ford to take them on at Le Mans, and the birth of Lamborghini who were merely a tractor manufacturer beforehand.
The man himself has been portrayed by a bunch of actors in various projects, most notably by Sergio Castiletto in a 2003 miniseries. There was an attempt by Clint Eastwood to do a movie with Robert de Niro in the role of Ferrari, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside, and Michael Mann - famed director of Heat - refused to sit idly by and let someone claim his passion project that he had been wanting to do for years.
After tapping the likes of Christian Bale (who played Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari) and Hugh Jackman for the role, it eventually went to - quite aptly - Adam Driver (Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy). Starring opposite Driver is Penélope Cruz (Oscar winner for Vicky Cristina Barcelona) as Ferrari's wife Laura, and Shailene Woodley (The Fault in Our Stars) as his mistress Lina Lardi.
Ferrari Movie Review: Fast Cars, Slow Pace
The movie is set in 1957, ten years after Ferrari as a manufacturer was founded. The marriage between Enzo and his wife has broken down especially after the passing of their son Dino the previous year, whilst he has a son Piero with his mistress who he has kept secret from Laura. All the while, the company is facing bankruptcy and Enzo is relying on the team winning the Mille Miglia so he can get as favourable terms as possible when potentially negotiating with either Fiat or Ford.Just to get it out of the way, if you are going into this movie expecting thrilling high octane racing action, you will be severely disappointed. The movie is a drama before a sport or action film, and it is not until the latter third of the runtime that you get anything resembling that. Therefore, do not go into it thinking that the movie is an exhilarating thrill ride all the way through, you will not be getting it.
With all that being said, just because it is not an exciting action film does not mean it is not enjoyable. Firstly, Adam Driver was very strong as Ferrari, albeit he does kind of stick out like a sore thumb as it is quite clearly Adam Driver in a lot of old age looking prosthetics. Nevertheless, Driver nailed the calm intensity and presence that il Commendatore had, although his cold and calculated nature does kind of work against the character having an effect on us as the viewers.
In stark contrast, Penélope Cruz truly blends in to her role as Laura Ferrari as the fire to Enzo's ice. She really brings her A-game and many scenes with her and Driver do feel like an intense chess game being played out in front of the audience. Discounting the driving shots, the segments featuring Enzo's wife are the ones I find most enjoyable. Same cannot be said for his mistress, Shailene Woodley honestly feels rather miscast in this role, she really does not fit in this movie.
There are plenty of other characters worth briefly mentioning, as there are a lot of faces you will recognise in this movie. But we will save that for later.
Whilst it does not make up the majority of the film, the racing scenes are amazingly done. The cameras are placed right in the cockpits of the cars, it may be rather tame but in its own way, the racing in this movie is still very raw and unfiltered with amazing editing and sound implementation, not at all overly stylised that you would come to expect in most racing movies.
For all you classic racing car geeks, try to spot and name all of the cars shown in this movie. Image: NEON
With all that being said, there is the one glaring issue with the film that has been brought up countless times. The movie does depict some gruesome fatal accidents, such as the ones that killed Eugenio Castelotti and Alfonso de Portago (as well as his co-driver and many spectators). Whilst the movie makes no attempt to downplay or gloss over the harsh reality, their presentation left something to be desired.
Both seem to defy the laws of physics, and the latter's CGI effects were so blatant that it had been likened to scenes in the infamous terrible racing movie Driven. As a result, any attempt of showcasing how brutal these tragedies were are rather undermined. It will most likely take the viewers out of the movie for a moment.
Recognisable Faces
As I mentioned earlier, this movie is a real "Who's Who" of well known faces in motorsport. Firstly is one of the most prominent actors, Piero Taruffi is portrayed by Patrick Dempsey who is renowned in both film and racing circles. On the screen, he is most known as Dr. Derek 'McDreamy' Shepherd in Grey's Anatomy but to us racing fans, he finished 2nd in the LMGTE Am class at the 2015 Le Mans 24 hours.Next up is Alfonso de Portago who plays a major part in the movie, the Spanish nobleman is portrayed by Gabriel Leone. If that name is ringing a bell but for whatever reason you cannot put a finger on where, it is because Leone portrayed another racing driver: Ayrton Senna in the Senna miniseries.
Ferrari features a range of names known in racing circles, and Dempsey is known for both movies and racing. Image: NEON
Racing for Ferrari's main rival Maserati in 1957, Stirling Moss is in this movie and is portrayed by Ben Collins who was Top Gear's second Stig. You may also recognise him from the Ford v Ferrari movie in which he portrayed 1967 F1 world champion Denny Hulme, who was Ken Miles' teammate in the 1966 Le Mans race. So that is two movies in which Collins has been in opposition to Ferrari.
Eugenio Castelotti is portrayed by Marino Franchitti, 2014 Sebring 12 hour winner and brother to 3-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti. Then there is 1958 F1 world champion Mike Hawthorn, who may not feature in the movie prominently but when he does appear, those who watch Formula D may know who plays him: Samuel Hübinette who was 2004 and 2006 Formula D champion.
Plus, there is a scene where a car is being driven by former Grand Prix driver and 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours overall winner Marc Gené, although it is not specified if he is portraying anyone in particular.
Should You Watch It?
As much as I enjoyed it, I can get why most people would not. If you are eager for a taste of that period, you will get it but whilst the movie could very well have been about Ferrari starting the company, the funding problems and the cultural significance of Ferrari in Italy, instead it was relatively dull, slow and soap opera-esque with underdeveloped characters.There are plenty of good scenes but still rather surface level skimming, and ultimately maybe nowhere near as interesting as the earlier mentioned Ferrari miniseries from 2003 with Sergio Castiletto in the lead role.
Which other motorsport movies should we review and what do you think of the Ferrari movie? Let us know in the comments below, and join the discussion on our forums!
