FERRARI (2023) – Strong performances from Cruz and Driver with some gripping race scenes
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Ferrari is about Enzo Ferrari, the legendary founder of the renowned automobile brand Ferrari and motor racing team. It is however, not a biography of his life. Instead, it focusses mainly on the events in the late 1950’s leading up to the Millie Miglia, an open road cross country endurance race. This race was significant for Ferrari as he needed to prove himself that his cars are better and faster than his rivals’, particularly the Maserati team. A win here would help elevate his company from the financial doldrums it was under, and promote it as a desirable car for buyers.
It is remarkable that ace director Michael Mann can come up with an epic feel to the story even within such a narrow scope of timeline for the story. There is enough background characters and stories here for him to come up with a rich tapestry of memories that gives us a glimpse into the pesona of the icon. Adam Driver plays Ferrari at an age much older than himself with the help of the usual Hollywood make-up magic. Penelope Cruz gave a memorable performance as his aggressive wife who shares control over the finance of the company. We are so used to seeing Penelope in glamorous roles, and it was a pleasant surprise to see her take on a role of someone who is old, unattractive and bitter so well.
Michael Mann has directed and produced a legion of famous movies including The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, Manhunter and The Insider. Like other veteran directors such as Ripley Scott and Martin Scorcese, Michael Mann demonstrates to the world that he still has the chops to make good movies when at a ripe old age of over 80! While Ferrari may not have the intensity and vigour of his early movies, it does have some of the most remarkable car race sequences I have seen. The place of the camera from the outside of the car provides some amazing viewpoints of the races with a picturesque background as further eye candy. He also successfully transports us to the era with all the vintage looking cars looking appropriately brand new and in good working order too! One particular scene showing a tragic car crash was so realistically captured that it remained haunting in my mind days after watching it.
I do have one gripe though. I confess that I found it difficult at times to follow the flow of the movie especially in the earlier parts. I just find the scenes shifting from one scene to another with seemingly little coherence or connection. The dialouge was fast and sometimes heavy with Italian accent which made me missed out on what was said. Perhaps Michael Mann deliberately did it so people are forced to rewatch and gain better insights upon repeat viewings.