Ferrari started it all on May 21, 1950 with the Ferrari 335S. When car aficionados think of Ferrari, usually the Ferrari F40 or the Ferrari Spider come to mind, yet it was the Ferrari 335S that made Ferrari what it is today. Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari, now sits on top of a 50 billion dollar corporation. Unfortunately, to attain this status, many lives were lost during test drives. No movie or history book depicts a more intriguing and informational telling of the story.
“Ferrari”, directed by Micheal Mann and distributed by Neon, is a 2023 film revolving around Enzo. With bankruptcy knocking on the door, Enzo decides to risk it all in the Mille Miglia, a grueling 1,000-mile race across Italy. The movie kicks off with our main character, Enzo (Adam Driver) waking up in bed with what seems to be his wife. We find out later on, that the woman in his bed was his secret lover.
Surprisingly, his wife Luara Ferrari (Penélope Cruz) already knows this, as they have made some sort of agreement. In the first minutes of this movie, the tension between these two characters pulsates off the screen, even when they barely speak to one another. The amazing chemistry between Driver and Cruz continues throughout the movie as the plot twists with several scenes of betrayal and deception.
Adam Driver does a beautiful job playing Enzo. He gives the character a unique personality, showing his anger and frustration terrifically. There was no one more perfect for this role, as I am still amazed at the performance given by Driver. His co-star, Penelope Cruz, also does her job superbly. Playing Luara Ferrari, she captures the internal struggle of her cheating husband and the external struggle of a grieving mother. I love her performance because she conveys her character’s pain in her eyes.
As the story progresses, we are shown that it’s not just emotional and mental struggles the couple go through, it’s also financial problems. Enzo has realized he is going bankrupt and needs a way out. Running low on options, he gambles it all in an enervating race: the Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile race across Italy. Before he can get the chance though, he must test his vehicle’s speed and power. And the only way he can do that is by risking his friend’s life. Having lost a friend earlier to a crash accident in his car, he struggles between keeping his friends safe or the prize. He ends up hiring a young and inexperienced driver, Alfonso. Wanting to be famous, Alfonso (Gabriel Leone) will do anything even if that means risking his life in one of Enzo’s creations. As the plot continues, the main focus centers on the characters’ problems, crashes, new inventions, and most important of all, the bond growing between Enzo and Alfonso.
The end of the movie is nearly solely focuses on the Mille Miglia. Enzo has five of his best racers/friends compete against Maserati. The sequence, which is around 15 minutes long, is beautifully choreographed and filmed from various, unique angles. With a ton of heart-stopping moments, such as Ferrari cars crashing or breaking down, to wondering who will come out on top, the movie throttles to an exhilarating climax and conclusion.
I won’t spoil who wins and how the characters resolve the issues with another. That’s for you to find out on your own. My only complaint with the movie was sometimes it would seem a bit slow in parts. I believe director Michael Mann could have added more racing sequences into the movie to increase the pace. With the beautifully and dramatically racing sequences toward the end of the movie, it would have been nice to have Michael Mann include more. Other than that, the movie deserves to be watched. I believe it will satisfy fans of racing and those who seek out thrilling moments in movies.
