Ferrari (2023) - ripper car movies

Documenting a three-month slice of time in the lead-up to and aftermath of the 1957 Mille Miglia race in Italy, Michael Mann’s Ferrari delves into both the professional and personal lives of Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver).

First published in the March 2024 issue of Street Machine

Despite grappling with business and relationship pressures, Enzo is intent on firmly re-establishing Ferrari’s dominance as a race car manufacturer. But with funds starting to dwindle and a media frenzy around his character and personal choices beginning to overshadow the brand, he becomes embroiled in further controversy following the death of driver Eugenio Castellotti (Marino Franchitti) during a training accident at the company’s Modena track. Still reeling from the death of his son, Dino, only months earlier, Ferrari is publicly chastised following his apparent inhumane response to Castellotti’s passing.

Ferrari’s push for success sees the inclusion of young-gun driver Alfonso de Portago (Gabriel Leone), who joins the team alongside fellow drivers Piero Taruffi (Patrick Dempsey) and Peter Collins (Jack O’Connell) in the lead-up to the Mille Miglia, with a win against the Maserati stable firmly in their sights.

Running parallel to Enzo’s team and vehicle preparation are careful negotiations with his wife, Laura (played brilliantly by Penelope Cruz), whose financial stake in the company is necessary to its future viability, with rumours of a Fiat or even Ford takeover circulating through the industry. This delicate relationship is further complicated by Ferrari’s live-in relationship with mistress Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley), mother to his son Piero (Giuseppe Festinese).

Ferrari’s stresses are exacerbated tenfold at the ’57 Mille Miglia in the village of Cavriana, where de Portago and his co-driver Edmund Nelson (Erik Haugen) are killed in a horrific crash that also claims the lives of nine spectators, including five children. In real life, Ferrari was charged with manslaughter as a result of the crash, but was later cleared following an inquest. However, the Mille Miglia race was never run again.

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VERDICT: 3.5/5

Being a Michael Mann fan, I had great expectations for Ferrari, but I left the cinema feeling a little underwhelmed due to the film’s slow pace and the surprisingly lacklustre special effects. Still, I was ultimately intrigued by this snapshot of Enzo Ferrari’s story in the lead-up to the tragic crash at Cavriana that claimed so many lives.

Adam Driver displays his versatility in his portrayal of Enzo, but it is Penelope Cruz who steals the show as the jaded Laura in a shatteringly good, award-worthy performance. As long as you keep your expectations somewhat in check, Ferrari is definitely worth a watch.

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