American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
Did you know that director James Mangold recreated a race track that no longer exists for The Ford v Ferrari? Learn about the filmmaker's nationwide search to rebuild Le Mans '66.
As Enzo Ferrari's fast Rosso-Corsa racing cars dominate the mid-1960s motorsport world, the American car designer, Carroll Shelby, is forced to retire after winning the demanding 1959 '24 Hours of Le Mans' endurance race. But, before long, an unexpected proposition by the Vice President of Henry Ford's motor company, Lee Iacocca, will offer an opportunity to beat the Italians at their own game. Now, under those pressing circumstances, the British sports car driver and racing engineer, Ken Miles, reluctantly agrees to lend a hand and improve the firm's image, as Ford's race team has less than ninety days to rewrite history. As a result, the non-conformist duo comes up with the mighty Ford GT40 Mk I high-performance racing car. Can Shelby and Miles break Ferrari's streak?Written by
Nick Riganas
According to Matt Damon, Christian Bale had to lose seventy pounds before filming began. Bale had previously gained a lot of weight for his role in Vice (2018) and had about seven months to lose it all and then some to play the lean race car driver, Ken Miles. Damon inquired of Bale how he managed to lose all the weight, to which Bale replied that he simply didn't eat. Damon said he was impressed by Bale's monk-like discipline. See more »
Goofs
While it's raining heavily in Le Mans, Miles GT40 is shown with glowing brake discs, something that wouldn't happen in that situation as: 1st, you drive a lot slower in the rain; 2nd, the rain cools down the discs a lot. See more »
Quotes
Carroll Shelby:
[narration]
There's a point at 7,000 RPM... where everything fades. The machine becomes weightless. Just disappears. And all that's left is a body moving through space and time. 7,000 RPM. That's where you meet it. You feel it coming. It creeps up on you, close in your ear. Asks you a question. The only question that matters. Who are you?
See more »
French Nationalm Defile March
Written by Robert Planquette
Performed by Gardemusikken
Courtesy of Norske Gardemusikeres Forbund/Musikkoperatørene AS/The Orchard See more »
Biopics can be a hard sell at times. Whether you're diving into the troubled life of an addict or exploring someone's sexuality, there are many touchy subjects these days. With that said, I feel there are also those that will stand the test of time, in terms of being able to please a wide audience. Ford v Ferrari is one of the latest true stories out of Hollywood that will be hitting the big screen soon, and here's why I believe it absolutely deserves attention.
Following multiple characters throughout, Ford v Ferrari focussed on the fact that Henry Ford II was given an idea to create the fastest race car in the world. His mission is to take down the likes of the company Ferrari, who have held the title for years. Carol Shelby (Matt Damon) is approached by a member of the Ford team and is recruited, only to be the one finding himself recruiting the driver in Ken Miles (Christian Bale). That's the core premise and there's a lot to dive into from there.
If you're a fan of racing or cars in general, this movie will be for you. This is a very well-directed film by James Mangold, and the racing sequences are quite long, taking up a good chunk of the nearly 150-minute run time. Luckily, they are very intense, practically shot, with a fantastic score to back it up, and sound effects to get your heart pumping. Everything about the exciting aspects of this film was top notch.
Christian Bale and Matt Damon give stellar performances here as the two leading men in the film and I totally bought their rigid friendship that slowly developed. Sadly, without giving anything away, there is an incident that I feel was not explored enough, which slightly took away when a certain moment is meant to impact the movie. Other than that, this is a fantastic movie from beginning to end.
In the end, Ford v Ferrari is engaging, emotional, and downright thrilling when it wants to be. I was invested in these characters and on the edge of my seat during the climactic races. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with this movie. There is a missed opportunity in terms of emotion during a certain scene, but I was able to forgive that, seeing as the rest of the movie was so impressive. Ford v Ferrari is one of the best movies I've seen so far this year and it will be one to see when it officially releases.
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Biopics can be a hard sell at times. Whether you're diving into the troubled life of an addict or exploring someone's sexuality, there are many touchy subjects these days. With that said, I feel there are also those that will stand the test of time, in terms of being able to please a wide audience. Ford v Ferrari is one of the latest true stories out of Hollywood that will be hitting the big screen soon, and here's why I believe it absolutely deserves attention.
Following multiple characters throughout, Ford v Ferrari focussed on the fact that Henry Ford II was given an idea to create the fastest race car in the world. His mission is to take down the likes of the company Ferrari, who have held the title for years. Carol Shelby (Matt Damon) is approached by a member of the Ford team and is recruited, only to be the one finding himself recruiting the driver in Ken Miles (Christian Bale). That's the core premise and there's a lot to dive into from there.
If you're a fan of racing or cars in general, this movie will be for you. This is a very well-directed film by James Mangold, and the racing sequences are quite long, taking up a good chunk of the nearly 150-minute run time. Luckily, they are very intense, practically shot, with a fantastic score to back it up, and sound effects to get your heart pumping. Everything about the exciting aspects of this film was top notch.
Christian Bale and Matt Damon give stellar performances here as the two leading men in the film and I totally bought their rigid friendship that slowly developed. Sadly, without giving anything away, there is an incident that I feel was not explored enough, which slightly took away when a certain moment is meant to impact the movie. Other than that, this is a fantastic movie from beginning to end.
In the end, Ford v Ferrari is engaging, emotional, and downright thrilling when it wants to be. I was invested in these characters and on the edge of my seat during the climactic races. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with this movie. There is a missed opportunity in terms of emotion during a certain scene, but I was able to forgive that, seeing as the rest of the movie was so impressive. Ford v Ferrari is one of the best movies I've seen so far this year and it will be one to see when it officially releases.