REVIEW: Ferrari slows down a fast, dangerous life

Michael Mann (the director of the Insider and Ali) is one of the greatest filmmakers of late 20th century Hollywood, and his streak of excellent films continued well into the 21st century. After Blackhat, he took a break and enjoyed his twilight years. But you can’t keep a good filmmaker down.

Ferrari is Mann’s first film in 8 years, and his first working with Adam Driver (from Girls and House of Gucci). Driver plays Enzo Ferrari, the Italian race-car driver turned entrepreneur, at a time of immense personal turmoil in his life. His son Dino recently passed away, his marriage with his wife Laura (played by Penélope Cruz from Volver and Vicky Cristina Barcelona) is falling apart, and his company is failing. His associates tell him that the only way his company can survive is by winning the 1957 Mille Miglia, a race entirely on public roads around Italy.

Mann’s films are always cool, calm, and collected. The term “dad cinema” is often thrown around discussions of his oeuvre due to recurring elements, such as crime, masculinity, and Al Pacino. Ferrari absolutely feels like a part of this discussion as well, least of all because the central conflict of the film is being a father.

Driver’s performance (somewhat shoddy Italian accent aside) is minimalist yet incredibly effective. Enzo is always putting on a performance, refusing to let many around him see the real person. The brief moments where it feels like we’re really seeing him are in his communications with his dead son, or interactions with his new love interest Lina (played by Shailene Woodley from Big Little Lies). He’s a very reserved man, which seems to oppose his love of race car driving.

It’s depicted as his biggest passion, he even says at one point the only reason he sells cars is to race them. While he feels genuine in moments of personal intimacy, Driver feels the most dialed in when sharing in his deadly passion with other drivers. His character takes on a hands on approach with all of his drivers, because he knows the danger they put themselves in. At times, it seems like he loves living his life on the edge for the danger. And as the film often shows (and anyone who’s aware of the history of the 1957 Mille Miglia knows), race car driving is incredibly dangerous.

And never is that love for danger more evident than dealing with his wife. Cruz has the most engaging performance in the entire film, a jilted lover hurting from the death of her only child and what that means for her legacy. Her scenes with Driver are frequently emotionally combative and cut to the core of anyone who’s been in a romantic relationship. She’s throwing herself through the ringer here, it’s one of her roughest and most impressive performances in her lengthy career.

Despite the film’s tense emotional moments, it remains predominantly cool and collected throughout. Mann is a master of depicting the solemn masculinity of his male protagonists, showing their pain in a simple style that’s as iconic as it is beautiful. It’s a joy to see this 80 year old filmmaker working again, and with any luck we won’t have to wait another 8 years for his next film.

Ferrari is not Mann’s best film when compared to Heat, Manhunter, or Miami Vice but it is an entertaining and exciting entry in his filmography. Both Driver and Cruz (especially Cruz) deliver outstanding performances in this late-year release about having a terrible joy. This film gets a 4/5, you can watch it in cinemas starting on Christmas Day.