Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Ford v Ferrari Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 12, 2020

Chris Rock got off one of the better jokes in last week’s Academy Awards telecast when in referencing Ford v Ferrari he stated, ““I gotta tell you I’ve got a Ford, I got a Ferrari. It ain’t even close. That’s like Halle Berry versus gum disease.” As undeniably hilarious as that line is, it’s probably salient to note that gum disease often ravages smiles as gorgeous as Halle Berry’s, even if Ms. Berry herself has not (yet?) succumbed to such an issue. In that regard, it probably goes without saying, at least for car and/or racing buffs, that as iconic as Ferrari’s reputation in the racing industry both was and is, Ford did in fact manage to defeat the Italian automobile giant at Le Mans — repeatedly. The rivalry between these two automotive titans had been kicking around Hollywood for years, as is discussed in the in-depth series of featurettes included as supplements on the Blu-ray disc, but in this particular case, the wait was definitely worth it, for Ford v Ferrari is one “racing film” that could very well appeal to those without one whit of interest in professional racing. The film very smartly concentrates on characters rather than the races themselves, though there are certainly enough racing sequences to satisfy any fan of films like Grand Prix and/or Le Mans (it’s notable that Le Mans might have been retitled Porsche v Ferrari , and also that this very film was rebranded as Le Mans 66 in some foreign markets).

The screenplay for Ford v Ferrari evidently went through some tweaks along the way, as evidenced by the three scribes credited, but one of the smartest things this film does is provide character introductions that almost instantaneously provide clear, well defined people who come off as “real”. These include iconic race car driver and designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), whose health problems keep him from continuing his driving career as the film opens (kind of interestingly, the film never really gets into some of the fascinating back story of Shelby and Ferrari, notably the fact that Shelby beat Ferrari in the 1959 Le Mans, driving an Aston Martin). Introduced separately, but soon linked into Shelby’s story, is British race car driver and mechanic Ken Miles (Christian Bale), who it turns out has his own kind of contentious history with Shelby, though the two are ultimately kind of like brothers, often fighting (sometimes physically) but also genuinely loving each other.

The underlying plot mechanics (sorry) here involve the quest on the part of Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) to more or less humiliate Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone), after Ferrari not only rebuffs a merger offer from Ford, but speaks about Ford II in pretty disparaging terms. (When Ferrari turns around and sells to Fiat, it's only adding insult to injury, and the film alludes to the fact Ferrari used the whole proposed deal with Ford in order to up his asking price with Fiat.) By that time, up and comer Lee Iacocca (Joe Bernthal) has tried to spark interest in creating a Ford racecar to compete with Ferrari, and that ultimately brings both Shelby and Miles into the tale. I’m not entirely sure a kind of “evil vice president” named Beebe (Josh Lucas) really adds anything to the proceedings, other than creating several obstacles and at least one laugh out loud funny sequence when Shelby locks him in an office in order to give Henry Ford II a ride he won’t soon forget.

While Ford v Ferrari has a number of standout race sequences, the reason this film works so beautifully is due less to the admittedly supercool cars and other machinery on display than to its rather unexpected amount of heart. Some of this surplus of emotion comes spilling out courtesy of Ken's relationship with put upon wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and adoring son Peter (Noah Jupe). But frankly just as much if not more is provided courtesy of the brotherly relationship between Carroll and Ken, with the two almost functioning like Ego (Carroll) and Id (Ken) of the same driven (pun intended) person at times. A number of other supporting characters are decently developed, though some elements, like the clear implication that Henry Ford II suffered from some "issues" at being compared to his grandfather, don't necessarily help to explain weird moments like Ford "halting the presses" (or assembly lines, as the case may be) in order to deliver a sermon of sorts to the workers. That scene seems all the more strange since Ford is exhorting his troops to innovate, when Ford himself seems to be resistant to change at various junctures in the film.

There's a bit of a "tilting at windmills" aspect to this story that should certainly appeal to those with outsized dreams. That said, as the in depth making of supplement on the Blu-ray disc gets into, the film kind of surprisingly ends up scuttling perceived "sports underdog" tropes, and the film's bittersweet wrap up is one prime example (and one which won't be spoiled here, other than to say even manly men may have "something in their eye" as the film closes). Top notch performances all around and a really loving care in production design help to maintain this story pretty easily, despite the fact that the film clocks in at well over two hours. Ford v Ferrari just picked up two very well deserved Academy Awards, for Film Editing and Sound Editing, and for my money they should have walked home with the Sound Mixing award as well (1917 won that one).

Ford v Ferrari Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ford v Ferrari is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The closing credits offer a helpful "captured by Alexa" logo and the IMDb lists this as having been finished at a 2K DI, but I have to say detail levels frequently struck me as at least close to a 4K DI look at times. Fine detail is really exceptional throughout the presentation, offering great, virtually palpable, looks at elements like the kind of tufts of twine or string they tie onto a car fairly early in the story to see how air updrafts are preventing higher speeds. Other admittedly mundane things like the texture on some of the period outfits are also typically excellent. The palette is very nicely suffused and natural looking (aside from some nighttime photography, there's very little that looks artificially graded or lit). There are a couple of very brief slightly noisy looking moments during some of the interior car scenes during races, but this is another stunner of a Blu- ray disc from the typically reliable folks at Fox.

Ford v Ferrari Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ford v Ferrari features an incredibly bombastic and immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. Surround activity is notable from virtually the get go, as the roar of revving engines spills through and around the soundstage before the film even really begins. The racing sequences of course provide the "showiest" sequences for sound design, but there are some really evocative moments in "quieter" scenes, as in the subtle ambient environmental sounds in a touching scene between Ken and Peter on an isolated racetrack at night. There are at least a couple of pretty spectacular crashes offered in the story which also provide some great effects work. Dialogue, effects and score are all rendered cleanly and clearly, with excellent fidelity and very wide dynamic range.

Ford v Ferrari Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bringing the Rivalry to Life (1080p; 59:52) is a really well done set of eight featurettes covering aspects of the production, but also notably providing a lot of background on the real life Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles.


• Theatrical Trailers (1080p; 4:56)

Ford v Ferrari Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I admit I'm something of a vintage car nut, so the chance to see a bunch of mid-sixties (and earlier) cars, both race and everyday family variety, was really fun as I watched Ford v Ferrari, but it's commendably the human story here rather than any technology that really elevates this film and gives it such power (horse or otherwise). Smart, instantly accessible, characterizations provide nice emotional anchors from the get go, and the two focal characters are unforgettable. Some of the subplots and supporting characters are frankly a bit cliché ridden, but Ford v Ferrari is so consistently engaging it hardly matters. Technical merits are first rate, and the making of featurette included is very well done. Highly recommended.