Words cannot adequately describe how ecstatic I was to watch Ferrari, the first film in eight years from my favorite filmmaker, Michael Mann. Yet, I knew going in that this anticipation threatened to cloud my judgment, so I tried my best to suppress it and keep an open mind. Boy, I’m glad I did, since Ferrari is far from a normal biopic or racing movie.* Had I expected something more conventionally engaging, I think I would’ve been mightily disappointed, as so many user-reviewers seem to understandably be. Instead, I walked away from this film still wrestling with its overarching theme, and rather than running on empty, I feel positively refueled.

On one hand, Ferrari is the tale of a creator, in this case Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), who’s struggling to keep his car company afloat. When his lawyer informs him that the only way to save his business is to win an endurance race, the Mille Miglia, Enzo sets out to do just that. In come Enzo’s drivers: Alfonso de Portago (Gabriel Leone), Peter Collins (Jack O’Connell), and Piero Taruffi (Patrick Dempsey). One thing I immediately noticed was how Mann characterizes these drivers as he would bank robbers in one of his heist pictures. They’re all sharply dressed, well-disciplined, and ready to go – and perhaps die – at the drop of a hat. I say they’re ready to die because, at that time (the late 1950s), racers and onlookers perished in accidents quite frequently. Ferrari takes advantage of this detail by leaning into the threat of imminent bloodshed, injecting its racing scenes with an added terror that other racing films normally lack. On top of that, Mann and his cinematographer, Erik Messerschmidt, beautifully frame these sequences with an almost dreamlike aesthetic. Mainly opting for practical over visual effects, every exhaust-booming acceleration down mountain roads and crowded city streets gave me the same thought: how was this ever allowed? It almost doesn’t seem real. Yet, simultaneously, it all looked so exhilaratingly stunning that I also thought: how could we not allow it? Suddenly, a car blows a tire at 150 mph and goes careening toward a group of spectators and I realize, Mann has done it. He’s captured the duality – the beauty and the horror – of motorsport perfectly.

On the other hand, Ferrari is a morality play about love and legacy, no matter how impressive the racing sequences are. Troy Kennedy Martin’s screenplay is about people; it’s not about cherry-red racecars, despite how good they look in trailers. Having split his shares with his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz), Enzo is forced to consult her on all of his business decisions. This constitutes a problem for him, since the recent death of their son has pushed he and Laura apart. Throughout the film, Driver does a fantastic job portraying a man caught between kin and calling. As great as he is, however, Cruz is a touch better. Her performance as a mother in mourning feels thoroughly authentic, and when her character confronts Enzo over his emotional and physical absence over the years, you can’t help but to feel her sorrow and wrath. She represents the human toll of Enzo’s drive toward automotive mastery, although she’s not alone in that regard.

As it turns out, Enzo has had a mistress since World War 2, with whom he also has a young son, Pietro. This mistress, Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley), shares Enzo with both Laura and his company and thusly endures the same absences Laura does. In addition, Lina is forced to live in secrecy, so much so that Enzo balks at the idea of Pietro inheriting his name and, one day, his life’s work. Again, this tricky theme of legacy rears its head. Does Enzo cope with his son’s death by doggedly building faster and sleeker cars? Does the idea of leaving his business to Pietro also motivate him in his pursuits? Or, is he eschewing a familial legacy altogether in favor of a mechanical one? And, finally, do Enzo’s ends justify their means? After all, it’s not just his family that’s suffering; his drivers and employees are being pushed to their limits, too. It’s in the contemplation of these questions that Ferrari shows its best qualities, and the fact that I’m still chewing on them speaks to the script’s acuity.

All of this being said, Ferrari does falter a bit when it comes to editing and storytelling. On occasion, I spotted a few cuts and musical fades that seemed abrupt, as if the current scene was halted before it reached the finish line. I suspect this movie was chopped up and trimmed down in post. This also affects the story, which did seem slightly insufficient or unfinished. Don’t get me wrong, the main ideas and themes are successfully conveyed; I just wanted a smidge more to round it out. By the end, I had a grasp on who Laura and Lina were, but Enzo remained a bit of an enigma to me. Was he the driver of his endeavors, or was he the passenger of them? I’m still unsure. But, maybe, that uncertainty is the point. Enzo Ferrari was a real man, and only he knew his truth. Ferrari is just a movie – it’s not supposed to be the truth; it’s supposed to interpret it. And it’s supposed to be a work of art, just like Enzo’s racecars. Thanks to Michael Mann, his talented cast and crew, and Italy itself, Ferrari is precisely that.**

If I had to score it, I’d give Ferrari an 8/10.

Notes:

* Most biopics tend to overreach, showing huge stretches of their protagonist’s life in order to not miss anything. Many people prefer this method, as it allows them to see everything they expect to, even if only for a moment. But, as demonstrated by the woefully underwhelming Napoleon, this strategy often backfires. I prefer the way Ferrari does it – pick one chapter and run with it.

** Unsurprisingly, it appears that Ferrari is going to be a box-office bomb, as it was made for $95 million and hasn’t even cracked $30 million yet. Personally, I think making a Ferrari movie at a nearly nine-figure price-tag was a big miscalculation, since it could never garner the interest needed to recoup that kind of money. Be that as it may, I strongly encourage you rent it on VOD or buy the Blu-ray, if you can. Films that are this well-made deserve our support.