1A film by Michael Mann
A review by Autolycus
This website does not have a section for film reviews, but your reviewer went to see this film in the cinema just after New Year’s Day and was deeply impressed.
This is not just a film about racing. It is, above all, the story of the passionate and often fraught triangle between Enzo Ferrari, his wife and business partner Laura (and mother of his son Dino, cruelly taken from them at an early age) and his mistress Lina Lardi (and mother of his illegitimate son Piero). It is the well-crafted telling of this story, against the background of a very short period set around the 1957 Mille Miglia and its aftermath, that lifts the film above the usual fare of dramatic shots of racing and crashes. Such films can be excellent (Le Mans with Steve McQueen and the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari are commendable examples), but Michael Mann’s new film grips the attention mainly because of its atmospheric portrayal of the almost unbearable tensions pulling at a man whose whole life was dedicated to motor racing and winning, but whose personal life was equally full of drama and impossible decisions.
But what about the racing? Some reviewers with deep knowledge of the 1957 season have picked up some anomalies (for example, Jean Behra figures extensively in the Mille Miglia scenes, but in fact was injured in practice and never took part in the race), but these are forgivable changes to make the story speed along. And speed along it does: the cars are superbly recreated (using Caterhams with beautifully crafted real aluminium bodies that perfectly reproduce the real machines and, where there is little danger of crashes, they are real – Nick Mason’s Maserati 250F was used in the film.) The scenes at the Mille Miglia are stunning, from the early morning start in the dark to the daytime shots in the Italian countryside and cities.
All in all, the racing captures the drama, tragedy and bitter victory of the 1957 Mille Miglia in a way that should satisfy the most exacting of motor racing enthusiasts, as long as they are not counting rivets throughout the film. The two most distressing crashes are depicted with realism but not prurience, and serve to bring home the brutal dangers of that era of motor racing. Adam Driver looks nothing like Enzo Ferrari but superbly evokes the determination and passion of the man, and Penélope Cruz holds the film together beautifully as the loyal but often angry wife Laura.
This film is highly recommended both for those who love motor cars and racing and those who know nothing about it. As evidence of its impression upon those in the second group, the distinguished film critic Mark Kermode admitted that he knows absolutely nothing about this sport, but was not only engaged by the film but moved by it.
In cinemas at least during January 2024, and then almost certainly available on streaming services.
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