MOVIE REVIEW – Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari’ delves into personal drama, featuring a profound and compelling performance by Adam Driver. The film is heavily characterized by family disputes, though it doesn’t shy away from showcasing exhilarating car races. ‘Ferrari’ is more than just about high-speed chases; it’s a human story shaped by the longing for recognition and the processing of the past. Mann’s film about the founder of Ferrari thus offers more emotion than thrills.

Is Adam Driver now the greatest non-Italian Italian movie star of his generation? Less than two years after Ridley Scott’s ‘House of Gucci’, where he played a successful Florentine businessman boosted by a clever wife he once loved but no longer desires, Driver takes the lead in Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari’. Here, he portrays a successful Maranello businessman, similarly elevated by a witty wife he no longer loves.

Ferrari is better than House of Gucci

Sure, there are similarities between ‘House of Gucci’ and ‘Ferrari’, but the biggest difference, which is also Ferrari’s greatest strength: while Maurizio Gucci was a man driven by greed, Enzo Ferrari was a man driven by grief. Mann’s film picks up in 1957, just a year after Ferrari lost his only legitimate son, Alfredo, and during a time when both his marriage and company are on the brink of collapse.

The film’s focus on Enzo’s personal and family issues surprisingly shifts ‘Ferrari’ from a high-octane thriller (a Mann signature) to a more subdued drama. The racing mogul spends his days between heated arguments with his grieving wife, Laura (Penélope Cruz), and a rustic life with his long-time mistress, Lina (Shailene Woodley), who is also the mother of his sole surviving, though illegitimate, son, Piero. The child’s yearning for acknowledgment becomes a Shakespearean dilemma against the backdrop of the Ferraris’ painful loss of their only heir, raising tough questions about the importance of continuity and legacy.

Despite the prickly family disputes at the heart of ‘Ferrari’, there’s still plenty of racing-related content in Mann’s automotive biopic. Spanish racer Alfonso de Portago (Gabriel Leone) arrives in Modena, Italy, with vibrant energy: young, ambitious, and ready to take the wheel. This fresh blood, it turns out, could be what saves Ferrari from insolvency. In an attempt to negotiate a better deal with a partner company, Enzo sends out a team of racers to compete – and hopefully win – the prestigious Mille Miglia endurance race.

A few but strong racing scenes

Mann’s highly anticipated racing film may only have a few actual racing scenes, but they are indeed spectacular. The director promised in an interview not to shy away from depicting the notorious tragedies’ mangled bodies, and he delivers: creating what is bound to be considered one of cinema history’s greatest, yet most horrific, crash scenes. In the terrible moment of the accident, the human body and machine almost indistinguishably merge, human fates meet tragic ends from the violent impact of crashing cars. The audience can almost smell the suffocating fumes of burning rubber while watching the shocking scene.

The film magnificently recreates the atmosphere of the 1950s Mille Miglia race, winding through the mountains and colorful towns of Italy. Erik Messerschmidt, a collaborator of David Fincher, captures this fifties-era world in vivid colors, creating a stark contrast between the peaceful Italian towns and the horrors of the crash.

The film’s music is also noteworthy: Daniel Pemberton, the composer for ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’, crafted the score for ‘Ferrari’. The melodies both highlight and counterbalance the loud engine roars with heart-wrenching tunes that emphasize themes of loss and longing. These musical pieces perfectly complement the film, where Adam Driver, with a more subdued Italian accent and refined gestures, delivers a more authentic portrayal of Italian character than in Scott’s more caricatured previous film. The actor’s imposing presence is accentuated by elegantly tailored suits, and his distinctive features are framed by classic Ray-Ban sunglasses and slicked-back silver hair.

Mix of Expert and Lackluster Performances

Adam Driver brings seasoned professionalism to the lead role, making it somewhat surprising and yet another testament to the Spanish actress’s talent that Penelope Cruz, as Ferrari’s wife, manages to steal the show. When Cruz appears on screen as Laura, she brings fiery Italian temperament and almost cartoonish Italian dramatics, pistol in hand. Despite her character, and the related scenes being somewhat overrepresented, Cruz undeniably stands out in the film.

We would definitely choose her over Shailene Woodley’s portrayal of Ferrari’s mistress, Lina, who comes across as dull and uninspired, the perfect antithesis to Laura. Whether Lina was like this in real life or not, we don’t know, but her scenes are certainly the most tedious and drawn-out, further marred by an almost indecipherable “Italian” accent that seems barely practiced. However, a pleasant surprise in casting is Patrick Dempsey, a well-known racing enthusiast who reportedly pleaded with Mann for a role in the film. Dempsey brings the character of racer Piero Taruffi to life, displaying a unique blend of natural charisma and confidence.

When tires meet asphalt

When the race cars’ tires hit the pavement, ‘Ferrari’ reaches the pinnacle of Michael Mann’s style of exhilarating filmmaking, with masterfully crafted racing scenes that impress even the most jaded viewer. However, the film’s focus on the emotional depths of Enzo Ferrari’s family life, while a bold choice, at times seems overly cautious and restrained in execution and storytelling – even despite Penelope Cruz’s aforementioned brilliant performance. Unfortunately, for significant parts of the film, these scenes dominate, which is a pity, as beyond the adrenaline-pumping races and business intrigue, it leaves the non-soap-opera accustomed viewer somewhat bored.

– Gergely Herpai (BadSector) –