Last night, I saw Ford v Ferrari, and it was time very well spent.
I saw Ford v Ferrari last night, and I was really impressed. Not only was it extremely well made, but it was also just extremely well cast.
For starters, I kind of thought I had already seen everything Matt Damon could do. Seeing the trailers for Ford v Ferrari, I remember wondering, is Damon really going to do well in this bombastic role?
Whelp.. he did. He killed it as Carroll Shelby.
He looked like a natural-born cowboy. And Jon Bernthal? Awesome. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors.
Usually, he plays these “rage monster” roles. In this movie, he played a diplomatic marketer named Lee Iacocca. He was Ford’s middleman between the company and Shelby. And he really did an incredible job.
But the best performance, by far, was delivered by Christian Bale as racecar driver Ken Miles. He was perfect for this role.
He’s always been considered one of the greatest actors of our time. But he embodies this character perfectly.
Ken Miles is sassy. Really sassy. So is Bale. So, naturally, the marriage between the two is perfect.
As you’re watching, you end up feeling like you’re really seeing Bale unhinged, so to speak, as he’s ripping people left and right. It was awesome to see him just absolutely destroy this role.
His relationship with his wife, as NPR pointed out, is also incredible. Caitriona Balfe’s performance as Mollie Miles is very memorable. She deserves a ton of credit for rounding out this movie. Her performance was a major part of what made it click.
She was smart, she was funny, and she was extremely entertaining. She hit all her beats perfectly. Awesome, awesome performance.
The storyline was also nonstop. You don’t get bored with it, as its action, its intricacies, and its incredibly entertaining interactions keep your eyes glued to the screen from start to finish.
It also lacked the cheesiness that movies in this genre tend to come with. And it kind of makes sense. It was, after all, based on a true story. As such, there was a feeling of genuineness throughout.
Bottom line: There was good tension, high stakes, and entertainment that really delivered upon and exceeded expectations. Check it out. I don’t think you’ll be sorry you did.
Ford v Ferrari is out now on DVD.
