Ferrari 🏎️💨 REVIEW:

          During the summer of 1957, bankruptcy looms over the company that Enzo Ferrari and his wife built 10 years earlier. He decides to roll the dice and wager it all on the iconic Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy. Director Michael Mann teams up with Oscar nominee Adam Driver for this biographical sports drama about ex-racer turned entrepreneur, Enzo Ferrari. Instead of being about Enzo’s complete life, this film focuses rather on him building back his company from bankruptcy as well as his complicated marriage with Laura Ferrari. It should come as no surprise by now that Adam Driver gives yet another phenomenal performance. For someone born in California, Driver’s attempt at an English accent is quite impressive. Driver’s performance was great throughout, but it wasn’t until the second half in which he added a noticeable amount of intensity. While Driver is the main reason to see the film, Penelope Cruz as Laura Ferrari is equally as good as Driver here. The two of them have very believable chemistry and whenever the two are on screen together engaging in tense conversations, the movie was at its peak for me. A lot of the film heavily revolves around Enzo and Laura’s domestic drama with the race across Italy as somewhat of a backdrop. Much of the second act goes into how Enzo had a child with a mistress played by Shailene Woodley and the fallout from that as it relates to Enzo’s public image. 

          The supporting cast of race car drivers do a good job, although the movie can’t decide whether or not they deserve enough character development in the 2 hour duration. In terms of racing sequences, Michael Mann really puts you in the driver’s seat through breathtaking cinematography and engaging camerawork. There is one car crash in particular that I don’t want to spoil, but this is without a doubt, one of its not the most shocking, brutal, and realistic car crashes I’ve ever witnessed in a Hollywood movie. Myself and the audience members in my sold out theater were left speechless. The few things that hold this movie back from going the extra mile are its lack of commitment to any one particular storyline, the underdeveloped race car driver characters, and an abrupt ending. I really don’t have too much to say about Ferrari other than it’s exactly what I would refer to as the slightly above average Oscar season movie that’s more of a showcase for powerhouse performances as opposed to a remarkably impressive narrative. I think car aficionados especially should check this out, although it may bore those who aren’t all that invested in said topic. Overall, Michael Mann’s Ferrari may be held back from greatness due to an inability to focus on one particular storyline and its abruptly jarring ending, but it’s made worth a one time viewing because of Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz’s fantastic performances along with some truly electrifying race sequences.