Ferrari

Definitely NOT a car movie and definitely NOT a gripping dramatic portrayal either. It's not a flop alright, but it is an awkward misfire for sure.

The bad: Director Michael Mann is famous for several terrific action thrillers in the past (HEAT), but he has never excelled at making a true drama (on the contrary) and this is the exact problem with this movie, because it is severely LACKING in true drama.

It's lackluster, uneventful and simply going through the motions. Almost the entire storyline is about money problems for producing racecars and lots of wife / lover quarrels / issues. What's suppose to be exciting about that?!

Not even the car races (the few that were featured) were thrilling to watch. Those races didnt look bad for sure, but they werent exhilirating either. Quite average to be honest. Was this a car movie? NOPE it was NOT.

What is it then? This story is entirely focussed on the CHARACTER of Mister Ferrari, played by Adam Driver. I really value this actor's performance in many other great movies, he's definitely a great actor, but he didnt nail it this time. And I am being really polite now...

BEWARE: use subtitles because director Michael Mann decided to let all the ITALIAN characters speak in almost unrecognizable English with a terrible accent. THAT was THE most annoying thing, that really PUT ME OFF entirely. What jibberish accents.

Not a total flop, but an awkward misfire of a drama for sure...

A slow, meandering & yawn-inducing sports biopic about the Italian automotive mogul whose family name has been synonymous with speed, power & luxury, Ferrari intends to showcase the personal struggles & professional crisis of a man trying to keep his auto empire afloat only to end up halfway on both fronts. Lacking in horsepower, flat in structure, devoid of a well-oiled engine & also short of a full tank, Michael Mann's latest swerves & steers with no confidence, has no momentum or sense of direction, fails to create any adrenaline-fuelled moments even when the race is on, and is further marred by cold, distant & over-the-top performances, thus finishing as a bland & forgettable outing altogether.

As I saw on a YouTube video, when you are told you are going to watch a movie about Enzo Ferrari, you might think it will explain where did his car obsession come from, what happened to him after his son died, what was his rivalry with Maserati about, how did he manage to make such luxurious and aspirational cars. Sadly, none of these topics are addressed in this movie.

Although he was an interesting businessman, we seldom see anything behind his success. The movie only offers us some soap opera drama.

The acting is bland and the plot line lacks development. I was expecting so much more from this and I got white disappointed.

In the surface, Ferrari appears to be a well-directed, well-acted and adrenaline fuelled with excellent racing sequences. And yet, throughout the film, I couldn't help but feel disinterested and dissatisfied. This film has all the elements to be a slam dunk and yet I never felt attached to Enzo Ferrari and his struggles.

The performances are decent overall. Unfortunately, I was most disappointed by Adam Driver as the titular character. He never showcases the great range that I know he is capable with. His Enzo Ferrari is very reserved and somewhat bland. It's not helped that he is speaking English while attempting an Italian accent. If Chernobyl (2019) can get away with all English dialogue, then I feel you can do that here. It would certainly allow Driver to reach greater levels of acting. The saviour of this film is certainly Penélope Cruz. She delivers an excellent performance as Laura and I wish she got more screen time.

But if you're here for the racing, the film does delivers. It's few and far between, but the third act is a long, intense race with great sound design and editing. It's a shame that you're not invested in any of the racers since the film doesn't characterise any of them. It means the climax of the film doesn't hit as hard as it probably should. It's certainly shocking and brutal but it's hard to stay immersed when the violence is so over the top and the CGI is not quite great.

Overall, Ferrari feels like a film that could've been better. The characters could've been better, the story could've covered a more interesting part of Enzo Ferrari's life and the acting could've been more. I left this film not feeling like I did not know Enzo Ferrari. It's a film that perhaps is not for me, but I can see how others enjoy it.

For a film helmed by Michael Mann and starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, I was expecting a lot more from this.

By the end, I didn't feel like I was much closer to Enzo Ferrari or his wife. I didn't come away with much more of an understanding or appreciation of the racing element. I didn't feel overly thrilled or engaged.

This all sounds a bit negative, but that's not to say there aren't positives to this film. Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz are really strong, even if they don't peel back the layers of the characters enough for me. However this is more of a criticism of the script than the performances. The racing scenes are well executed although could be a little more exciting and perhaps even shot a little better. Speaking of the direction, it is fine but I think there was potential to really get creative and design some thrilling set pieces. It probably didn't help that the pacing of this film was totally off, feeling much longer than it actually is, which reduced the impact of some of these scenes.

Overall I think this is a film of what could have been. There's an interesting story and an interesting man at the heart of all of this, but it just wasn't teased out enough.