Legendary filmmaker, Michael Mann, makes his return to the director's chair with the latest re-telling of the post World War 2 era of motorsport through the form of 'Ferrari'.
For anyone unaware of the story behind how one of the largest motorsport companies recorded to date was formed, it was by a man called Enzo Ferrari, and his wife Laura.
The company was founded in 1939 and built it's first car only a year later. The contents of this movie take place 16 years after the founding of Ferrari, in 1957.
As bankruptcy looms over the head of Enzo Ferrari due to failing to sell commercial cars to the people of Italy, the empire built by him and his wife over the last decade is put on the line as they must win the iconic Mille Miglia in order to keep the business afloat.
This is very much a movie that stands on the legs of it's two leading performances. Adam Driver does an exceptional job of portraying Enzo Ferrari in this movie, from the prosthetics all the way down to the Italian accent. This is just another example of how Driver can allow audiences to get lost in his roles and briefly forget just who it is they are watching behind the deep layers of prosthetics.
And although Driver delivers one of his best performances to date, it is Penelope Cruz who tends to steal the show as Enzo's wife, Laura Ferrari. The Spanish actress does an excellent job of portraying Laura as the fierce and cold-blooded wife to Enzo, nothing that you wouldn't expect given the situation she was put in by her husband.
But unfortunately, the quality in performances from the actors really draws the line with the two protagonists. Although there are some recognisable faces amongst the supporting cast from other well-respected productions, it must be said that some of the acting choices taken are very questionable.
Examples that spring to mind come through the form of Patrick Dempsey as Piero Taruffi and Shailene Woodley as Lina Lardi, the Mother of Enzo Ferrari's youngest child. The inconsistency with accents seemed to be a regular occurrence from the two actors, one minute they were American, the next they were Italian. It was difficult to keep up with the number of changes in dialect.
Aside from that, 'Ferrari' is a fairly-well directed movie. Nothing that we wouldn't already expect from an industry titan such as Michael Mann. The story itself is easy to follow due to the pacing of the film and the exposition exchanged between the characters and the dialogue is simple and effective.
As well as this, the cinematography in this film is relatively impressive. From a far, this is essentially just a nice-looking film with some stunning scenery that perfectly encapsulates the city of Milan as well as the culture surrounding it.
For those of the audience that are either die-hard motorsport fans or even just casual viewers of the sport, chances are that you will instantly enjoy this film. There are a number of excellent racing scenes scattered throughout this movie that not only are impressive to watch, but balance and discuss the high's and low's of motorsport racing.
There is one scene in particular in the final act of the movie that really showcases the negatives effects that motorsport racing can have on the people that choose to include it in their lives. And if you are like myself, unaware of the event that historically takes place in the final act of the movie, be prepared to pick your jaw up from the floor.
To summarise, Michael Mann's 'Ferrari' is an easy enough film to enjoy and certainly doesn't ask too much of it's audience members. Although this could be because of the fact that there isn't much solid and entirely intriguing content for the audience to consume in the first place.
Overall Rating: 6/10
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