Ferrari

Michael Mann isn’t a director who takes on a project lightly. The man behind such masterpieces as Manhunter, Heat, and Miami Vice has finally returned with a new work since his rare misstep Blackhat, to tell the story of Italian sports racing maverick Enzo Ferrari.

“Jaguar races to sell, I sell to race” is one of the quotes that reveals the ferocious mindset of the driver-turned-legendary car maker. Despite not bearing an obvious resemblance, Adam Driver steps into the role with absolute commitment, perfectly capturing Ferrari’s focus, passion and rage in every scene.

Set in the scorching summer of 1957, the story chronicles the life of the Italian entrepreneur as he prepares his racing team for the grueling Mille Miglia. Amidst this, Ferrari grapples with a tempest of personal woes, including the recent death of his beloved son Dino and a turbulent marriage strained further by his infidelities and financial crises. As Ferrari fights to save his company from financial ruin, his domestic life unravels, revealing a man racing against his own flaws as much as his competitors.

The immense attention to detail stems not only from filming on-site in Modena but also from a near-obsession to recreate the authenticity of every garage, office, restaurant, bank. The ochre palette of the Italian is beautifully infused in each shot, and even the smell of the countryside seems to permeate through the screen. Yet, at the core are the performances of Driver and Penelope Cruz, who plays his wife, Laura, a woman of strong character who endures the pain of infidelity with Lina Lardi (a compelling Shailene Woodley) and holds the family – and the business – together during its most fragile moments.

Ferrari isn’t a perfect film and certainly not Mann’s best work, but it presents a vivid fresco of an era when racing was a matter of life and death, and when one of the world’s best-known icons was forged.

Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor

Ferrari is released nationwide on 26^th December 2023.