Ferrari Review

Adam Driver is still very much the most in-form actor around. His hot streak continues with Ferrari, another biopic where he plays an Italian man of good fortune and bad luck. House of Gucci was a titan in length alone and did little to shine his star but did not leave him in the mud either. Fast car action will always be a draw, and the last few years have felt more in line with the blockbuster feel and loud engine noises. Le Mans ‘66 likely kickstarted this boom of new love for the biopic racing piece. What was once a rush of disinterest is now a high draw of potential awards bait, though, for Driver and Michael Mann, it was not to be. A shame, too, but an inevitable one. Mann was never in step with world-beating perception until a film has long since released and left the bubble of contemporary discussion. It will happen for Ferrari as it happened for Miami Vice.  

Key to any Mann film is the duo at the heart of it, leading the charge. He works best when his characters are in opposition. Heat, Collateral, and Manhunter all serve this notion of back-and-forth as the key to understanding both sides. Ferrari does this too with Driver and Penelope Cruz, the former indifferent to the world and in need of self-preservation, the latter swept up in the complacency of a man hellbent on perseverance. It marks an exceptional tension which lingers the whole way through and for much of Mann’s latest film, this beautifully shot and lively, colourful slice of life, feels as though it will be shortened by stress or madness. But with this domestic heartbreak, there needs to be some sense of depth. 

Ferrari observes this more as an action and reaction than something nuanced. Gunfire and clear jealousy, passion and volatility. It works but at the cost of time which could be used to shed light on the strong writing throughout. Should it be any surprise the worst to have lived hold some of the largest legacies? Roaring engines and incredible, slick scenes which James Mangold captured a few years prior are developed further – the love of racing is not connected to F1 this or tactics that – but a primal urge to travel fast and see the results of labour pulled off sufficiently. Ferrari does just this and provides plenty of sharp editing to convince us viewers of an almost biblical, religious lift to the art of succeeding in something we strive to be the best in.  

Slick work from Mann should be no surprise. His gift for the screen has lingered all too long for shock. Ferrari marks another in a set of dynasty-related features, picked apart by the adaptive process. Doing this as a straight-shooting story would never have worked and it is a credit to Cruz and Driver, whose dedication to these tortured souls brings them so thoroughly to life. Together they provide some fine work, extremely well-worked and often moving collections of desire and success. They confront the costs of the former and the impact of the latter with real grace, and nothing less should be expected when they find themselves guided by Mann.