Ferrari
Michael Mann’s career has been anything but consistent, but the guy’s highs rank up with the best from pretty much any filmmaker.
Such is the case with Ferrari, a staggering return to form that’s a triumph on every level and very well could be his masterpiece. The director has been figuring out how to make his Enzo Ferrari biopic on his own terms for over 20 years, including overcoming the 2009 death of screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin (The Italian Job; Kelly’s Heroes), and his passion for the project shines in each frame.
Atoning for his faux Italian sins from House of Gucci, Adam Driver anchors the film as the eponymous automobile racer turned engineer who’s having one hell of a 1957. A year after the death of his son Dino, whose prolonged illness all but killed his parents’ marriage, Enzo wars with his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) while his drivers underperform to Maserati, his company teeters on bankruptcy, and he struggles to hide his secret son Piero (Giuseppe Festinese) with Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley).
A master class in individual and ensemble acting, Driver and Cruz are phenomenal — particularly in their shared scenes as they tenuously maintain their bond for the sake of the business they built. But their separate ways of combatting deep grief likewise prove enthralling with Laura embodying a brooding shark ready to attack anyone who comes near and Enzo pouring his heart into the Ferrari racing team and a second chance at domestic happiness.
Though Woodley’s suspect accent work makes it tough to know if Lina is an American or British expat, or indeed Italian, her rapport with Driver covers the gamut of a genuine romantic relationship. From the pleasures of simple interactions to the issue of whether Piero will be confirmed with the Ferrari name, their bond feels deeply lived-in and one that both clearly wish to continue.
Working with David Fincher’s new go-to cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt (The Killer; Mank), Mann shoots the Ferraris’ interactions with a loving intimacy yet cranks up the epic feel on the racetrack, complete with a handful of his trademark extreme closeups of his actors in profile.
The variety of camera angles and sharp edits by Pietro Scalia convey the thrill of being behind the wheel of a Ferrari, as well as the incredible risks that the drivers take. "We all know it's our deadly passion — our terrible joy,” Enzo says at a team meeting, and by then Mann has shown enough bloodshed and triumph that every word rings true.
It’s the best auto racing movie thus far, and truly earns that distinction during the Mille Miglia road race. A mix of shots is again key here as Alfonso De Portago (Gabriel Leone), Peter Collins (Jack O’Connell), Piero Taruffi (Patrick Dempsey, a longtime driver), and the rest of the Ferrari squad navigate crowded city streets and stunning open valleys to heart-pounding ends.
The expert blend of action sequences and human drama is something only a master like Mann could pull off, and the unexpected wealth of humor rounds things out for a complete emotional experience.
Ferrari is so good that even its postscript is a thing of beauty. The rare instance when such “what happened next” information shows without telling, these words fill in blanks without explicitly saying whether Enzo acknowledged Pietro. It’s yet another reason why Mann’s latest winner is the best film of 2023.
Grade: A. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.
(Photos: Lorenzo Sisti/Neon)
