In today’s world, we might take certain aspects of our lives for granted. Almost no one, in THIS country, has had to go without the luxury of an automobile. You could say that once a luxury has been available for a specific amount of time, it will, one day, cease to become a luxury and progress into the realm of becoming a staple. This may have even been the case 50 or 60 years ago, though the history of the (automobile) industry was, still, relatively fresh.
Most of the time, when a movie is set during the 1960s, the topic of civil rights or race relations is at, or near, the forefront of the story. Although these are important details to remember, they are not ALL that matter. People have always had the capacity to continue to live their lives, despite everything else going on, simultaneously. Low and behold, there was something of a “war” going on and it was being waged, elsewhere.
In those days, Ford was struggling to dominate sales, in the USA, probably fort a variety of reasons, but a few references to Chevrolet ARE mentioned in the film, mostly in a humorous fashion. Aside from sales, Ford was, also, having some trouble competing on the race tracks. Again, several factors had to play a role, but Ferrari, out of Italy, was dominating the action, in a big way. In the movie, there is an important sequence of events, which land big, important spokespeople for Ford IN Italy, in hopes of buying out the exotic car company, due to a lack of sales in the mainstream market. Needless to say, things do not go favorably for Ford and Fiat, if you can believe THAT, gets the upper hand. The rest, as they say, is history.
The real story of the film begins here: the owner of Ford wants to win, badly, and says that he is willing to do whatever it takes. Enter Carroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon (“Deadpool 2”) and Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale (“Vice”). 
One is a semi-retired race car driver, known for his OWN car branding, and the other is a successful driver, himself, but is, also, considered reckless and ill-tempered. At a glance, these two might seem like an unlikely pair, but the world is filled with surprises and this is one of the greatest of all time.
As wonderful as Damon and Bale are, in this particular story, there is plenty of room for other great performances and they should NOT go unnoticed. While the character of Shelby is portrayed as a solitary man, Miles has a wife, Mollie, played by Caitriona Balfe (“Money Monster”) and son, Peter, played by Noah Jupe (“A Quiet Place”) and they play an important part in the story. Legacy counts for a lot with people like Ken Miles and conveying that, in connection to his family, establishes the reality of this. Without the believability of these performances, the whole element is wasted. I think you can see it, successfully, in the movie.
A cast of familiar faces graces the screen, on the side of the Ford Motor Company: Jon Bernthal (“The Peanut Butter Falcon”) as Lee Iacocca, Josh Lucas (“Breakthrough”) as Leo Beebe, JJ Feild (“Professor Marston and the Wonder Women”) as Roy Lunn and Joe Williamson as Donald N Frey. However, the performance that REALLy stands out, among these, is Tracy Letts (“The Lady Bird”) as Henry Ford II. 
Although his screen time might be somewhat limited, he excels, mightily, at delivering effective lines and, in one particular scene, could have earned himself an Oscar nomination for the upcoming award season. It should remind you of a classic Pepsi Max commercial, starring Jeff Gordon, just for a reference, only better. It was THAT good!
It would be shameful if I did not give another mention to Ray McKinnon as Phil Remington. As an actor, he has mainly focused his efforts in the realm of television, lately, but he helps to tie the story together in “Ford v Ferrari.”
“Ford v Ferrari” is something of a throwback, as a film. It maintains an objective storyline; not apologizing for what the story is all about or feeling the need to pull any punches. Director James Mangold (“Logan”) should be praised for executing the vision of this story, while keeping all these sizable acting talents in check, for the betterment of the whole movie. It is a rare thing, these days, for me to enjoy a film as much as, or in the same way as I enjoyed this one. How often can I even say that a movie about auto racing kept my interest the way that this one did? It is not dreary or graphic, but it is still a serious film and despite some of its predictable moments and inherent sentimental value, it was not cheesy or laughable for any of the wrong reasons. I cannot think of much that I did not like, technically or otherwise. This is a worthy, American biographical tale and I cannot recommend it with any greater conviction without calling it “the best movie of the year.” Instead, I will call it ONE of the best, for 2019, and I think most viewers should agree.
Director: James Mangold
Screenwriters: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller
Music: Marco Beltrami
Starring: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe, Remo Girone as Enzo Ferrari and Ray McKinnon
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Release: November 15th, 2019 (USA)
