Directed by:
Michael MannScreenplay:
Troy Kennedy-MartinCinematography:
Erik MesserschmidtComposer:
Daniel PembertonCast:
Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Gabriel Leone, Sarah Gadon, Alessandro Cremona, Jack O'Connell, Patrick Dempsey, Daniela Piperno, Lino Musella (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
During the summer of 1957, bankruptcy looms over the company that Enzo Ferrari and his wife built 10 years earlier. He decides to roll the dice and wager it all on the iconic Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy. (Roadshow Films)
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Reviews (10)
The opening quarter-hour is a masterclass in introducing the central characters and their inner pain, conflicts and life motivations. This is particularly true of the character of Enzo Ferrari, industrialist and engineer, a man of iron and principle with a tattered family life. Adam Driver was born to play this role, and the film’s energy and tone come more from him than from the cars. Daniel Pemberton’s emotionally rich and energetic music, supplemented with vocals in places, give the film spirit. The retro stylisation of both the settings and the other characters is great, and each of the supporting actors has the necessary personality. The apt lines of dialogue make clear both the mortal danger of the race drivers’ passion and the difficult position of Ferrari and his company in the given industry – responsibility for lives not only in the quest for prestige, but also in the principle activity of maintaining the company’s business.
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The omission of Penélope Cruz in the Oscar nominations is completely incomprehensible to me. Adam Driver is fine here, he doesn't try to overact with "Italian-style" expressionism, even in tense scenes his acting is nicely decent, and I even believed that grey hairpiece on his head, but the main star for me is Penélope. Not the cars, about which I know nothing, not the races, but this woman, tormented by emotions and doubts, fights an internal battle throughout the film, only to capitulate at the end, because the family business is above all. And related to this is Michael Mann's intention, he doesn’t try to approach Enzo Ferrari's life with some boring biographical description and ticking off the years, but to bring the marital discord of a prominent family to life in a short period of time. And the races are just a nice addition, though the production is nicely polished and the cinematography nicely dramatic. I'd have perhaps only two criticisms, I don’t think it’s necessary in a non-English speaking setting to adapt the English of the actors into some sort of accented pidgin, as happens here, and I would have preferred not to see those CGI cars flying through the air in such a nicely old-fashioned film.
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The opposite of Le Mans in many ways. In terms of time narrative, it is a small, intimate racing film, a study of the tormented genius of Enzo Ferrari from the surprising perspective of a family drama, not a flashy driving symphony of speedsters. It's not that there's no driving, and it even has a nicely retro tone with an extreme dose of realism and physicality (except for those awful digital flying cars), but Enzo's living room, bedroom and office are the primary focus. Michael Mann has made a dream come true, in a largely un-Hollywood, non-mainstream way. It's going to be hard to make a lot of money with this film, but the production values are solid. It's not the genre we're used to with Mann, and some of his traditional trademarks are not and can't be here, but he hasn't disgraced himself.
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Michael Mann tells the story of one short period in the life of the owner of the famous car company. And unfortunately he tells a story that is not very attractive or engaging. In addition, Adam Driver plays a distant, cold professional who keeps his emotions in check, resulting in a rather dull film. This changes in the last part, when the racing starts and Mann shows that he's still good at directing action, even if he can come across as somewhat old-fashioned. Overall, though, Ferrari is a pretty uninteresting film about people struggling with a personal crisis and a once-in-a-lifetime loss, only that one of them happened to be a car designer.
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Michael Mann returns after a long time with the stiffing biopic Ferrari, and it's fine, although more was expected. It seems to me that all the big directors, except for Nolan, have disappointed and failed to fully realize their potential this year. Those who expect another Ford vs Ferrari, Rush, or Gran Turismo from Ferrari will be slightly disappointed because the you won't get to enjoy many races. Even the final race lacks drive, tension, and atmosphere. Mainly, I didn't understand the rules, so it doesn't give you proper satisfaction, and the fact that the racers themselves are uninteresting and the rivalry with Maserati could and should have been tangible and impactful is also to blame, but when I consider that Michael Mann mainly wanted to shoot a film about Enzo Ferrari and his personal life and problems, and the race itself is just there, so to speak, I'm fine with it. Because when it comes to acting, it's top-notch quality. Adam Driver is excellent, I liked the dialogues and his performance, he's just an interesting personality. Penelope Cruz also skillfully supports him, portraying a pissed-off woman perfectly. These interactions between them are nicely intense. The retro visuals and the atmosphere of post-war Italy are also well done. Surprisingly, Mann manages to keep the viewer's attention and I wasn't bored, which is rare for these kinds of films. In conclusion, I have to highlight one shocking scene that shook every viewer in the audience! There is one uncompromising and brutal scene that even includes gore! Severed limbs, intestines, split bodies, I really didn't expect that in such a film, so a big PLUS! If Mann had captivated me with the final race and there had been a business meeting with Fiat, which seemed attractive (too bad there wasn't enough time for it), maybe I would consider giving it a full rating, but like this, it has to settle for a pleasant four out of five. 75%
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