#REVIEW: “FERRARI”

Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong

FERRARI unfolds during the summer of 1957 and ex-Racer Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) inwardly struggles with many issues. The company he had started with his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) ten years prior may be facing bankruptcy as it is focusing on building faster Formula 1 race cars rather than producing automobiles to be sold. Enzo and Laura’s marriage is in shambles and their relationship is contemptuous due to several reasons: the death of their son and apparent heir and, more so, Enzo’s affair with Lina (Shailene Woodley) with whom he has a young son. Treated like a deity in Italy, Enzo is obsessed with building a sportscar that will break all speed records and win the upcoming Mille Miglia race with the help of skilled Drivers (Patrick Dempsey and Jack O’Connell and Gabriel Leone who makes the most impact on-screen). After seeing a tragic accident on the track as Enzo tries to make the cars faster earlier in the Film, FERRARI is steeped with foreboding doom and pain.

Director Michael Mann’s first foray since 2015, FERRARI is an unsteady balance of greatness coupled with missed opportunities. I am a huge admirer of Adam Driver as he has been tackling his many roles since “Marriage Story” with bravery and aplomb. He makes an impressive impact throughout the movie, but with that said, the Actor is perhaps lacking the maturity needed to play Enzo and he has some difficulty navigating the Italian accent. Penélope Cruz has a heartbreaking pivotal scene when she goes to her son’s gravesite which had my tear ducts working overtime, but for the remainder of this Fillm, I felt she was channeling the great Oscar winner Anna Magnani. I left the screening thinking her performance as flawed perfection.

Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt (Mank, The Killer) once again proves he has a remarkable genius talent when it comes to capturing the beauty of the Italian countryside during the race and the tragic events of the Mille Miglia race, which is decidedly gruesome and one of the most unforgettable scenes I have seen this year in the movies. Composer Daniel Pemberton also has had a banner year with his Score for FERRARI and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”.

Lacklustre may be too harsh of a word when describing FERRARI, though we were left desiring more. With a wealth personal character backstories to choose from, coupled with thrilling races, this Movie should have triumphantly raised the checkered flag at the end, but it arrives as a runner-up.

Elevation Pictures release in theatres FERRARI Christmas Day.