Director Michael Mann – the filmmaker behind Collateral and Heat – returns after nearly with Ferrari. The biopic, starring Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, delves into the mind and morality of the founder of the iconic car manufacturer has engaging elements but ultimately struggles to stay consistent.
Rather than showing the full life of Enzo Ferrari, Mann focuses on the events written about in his 1991 biography Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine (written by Brock Yates). the film takes viewers later into Enzo’s life when he struggles to keep his family and company together. On one end, Ferrari is losing money – meaning their sense of pride and reputation are on the line. On the other end, Enzo lives a double life that causes fractures in his relationships with his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz) and mistress Lina (Shailene Woodley). As all this is happening the Mille Miglia — an exhaustive 1000-mile race across Italy — approaches and Enzo must find a way for his team to re-establish Ferrari’s dominance over the motorsport world.
Mann is in top form when it comes to the film’s racing sequences. He creates pulse-pounding thrills with death and danger around every corner. However, there isn’t too much racing in Ferrari since it focuses more on the personal life of the titular racer turned automobile founder. However, when the film sees drivers on the test track or in the middle of a tense race, it’s absolutely riveting. The film has some deeply engaging thrills that come from not only the perspective shots Mann uses to immerse viewers in the high-speeds treks around the track but the superb sound design that adds to the intensity of the moment. The film’s highly discussed crash sequences live up to the hype through the sheer brutality they display. Admittedly, the visuals can look a little wonky in action, but the death and destruction that follows will leave a big lump in your throat and captures the gut-wrenching reality of how dangerous motorsport is for those on and off the track.
While the film’s showcase of racing is a total thrill ride it’s not as engaging on the business side. When Enzo is trying to pull the strings to boost his team for success, it’s not always as compelling as his more personal story or what’s happening on the track. There are some interesting scenes of Enzo trying to use the press to create beneficial narratives and talk about the importance of Ferrari’s public image. There’s even a really fun scene that shows how the competitive nature of the sport and Ferrari’s communal impact is a part of everyone’s daily life. Mann certainly crafts some fun scenes of Enzo being a businessman, but it always feels secondary as it rarely feels like the most interesting qualities are being tapped into. Mann doesn’t touch on Enzo’s past as a racer coming into his own as a leader or large enough influence in this story.
However, this lack of world or narrative depth doesn’t take away from Driver’s performance or screen presence as Enzo. The sheer presence of Enzo in certain scenes makes you feel his power and creates a standard that everyone must follow. When he talks about winning and wanting Ferrari to return to its dominant stature in the public eye, it feels like it suddenly drives everyone to make sure it comes true. Driver excellently evokes that larger-than-life presence of Enzo on-screen and manages to deliver a performance that captures the emotion and vulnerability that Enzo attempts to shove down at times.
When the film sheds light on Enzo’s home and personal life, it delivers strong moments that dissect his personal anguish. Some of the big overarching themes of Enzo’s personal life are him struggling to find a crucial balance in this double life he’s leading and how the death of his and Laura’s son continues to affect them. While there is some humor in Enzo and Laura’s relationship through the chaos and personalities of their family life, it’s the heartache and devastation of their loss that feels most prevalent. It’s why the conversations they have about Ferrari’s legacy and their crumbling dynamic have potent emotion and understandable strife. It’s why Cruz’s performance gets all the narrative juice it needs to display a sense of frustration and determination to be heard and respected that’s necessary – especially given Enzo’s higher status. Not to mention, it’s what makes Enzo’s story with Lina such a distinct and compelling contrast.
With Lina, there’s a much more peaceful feeling that comes from their simplistic relationship with their own son. There’s a real love there that remains, and you can’t help but love that Lina isn’t afraid to express her frustration with the limitations of their relationship. It’s never something that makes you absolve Enzo’s actions and actually makes viewers more understanding of Laura’s anger for discovering this other life of his, but it does emphasize Enzo’s personal loss much more. It also opens him up in a way that lets these performances really make the drama, lingering pain, and flood of emotion more meaningful and impactful.
Yet – like Enzo – the film struggles with its own balance as it can’t always juggle its many story threads and ideas. At times, there’s just too much going on in Ferrari and it can make the themes and personal aspects of the story not as strong as they could be. The secondary storylines introduced can especially come off weak and clog up the film. The editing can specifically reflect this imbalance as the quick cuts between different things – like Enzo talking with Lina or Laura and then suddenly cutting to something on the track – can be jarring. It messes up the pacing at times and the transitions don’t always feel fitting.
Ferrari isn’t without issues but it’s a great return film for Mann as he manages to capture some strong atmosphere, characters, and performances worth watching.
