There are some things that easily identify a movie that will make a big splash at the Academy Awards that year. You have to have a gripping, if at all possible a true story. There are bonus points if it’s set at least a couple of decades ago. There have to be great performances by the leading actors, yet they can’t steal the entire spotlight. Again, bonus points if at least one of the actors is an American sweetheart. To finally pinpoint the Oscar-worthy feel, the film must have something to make the members of the Academy feel good. About Hollywood, about the past, or about America as a whole.

Ford v Ferarri, or Le Mans ’66, as the film is titled in other parts of the world, seems to check every category. We can only predict if it will make the sports drama as big a success as the Ford GT40 was at Le Mans in 1966. But does it make it a good movie?

Born to ride

The story of Ford “going to war once again” to finally defeat Ferarri in 24 Hours of Le Mans is more than 150 minutes long. The viewers can both feel every minute of it, and at the same time have it rush past as a mere hour. Two reasons for this dichotomy – two powerhouse performances by Christian Bale and Matt Damon, and two superior racing sequences.

Director James Mangold uses a similar pattern as in his Oscar-nominated, comic fans-pleasing Logan. Building on quieter, character-establishing scenes, Mangold manages to make our hearts race (pun intended) as he switches into a higher gear (just as well). The race sequences are simply exhilarating. The film constantly switches between driver’s experience in the car and the exterior shots of the laps. This builds tension which moves the viewers to the edge of their seats, holding out to their breath as the car finally hits 7000 turns.

It may seem weird to say this about a film where the actual point is to win a race, but Ford v Ferarri does a great job with conveying that racing is not only about winning. The emphasis is on the spirit of it – not just for the win, not just for the record-breaking speed, but for the almost sublime feeling it brings. For Miles and Shelby, it is not a passion that would ruin their lives – it is the passion which is at the very foundation of them.

Christian Bale – both calm and storm

Such a mature, less hot-headed grasp on the subject matter than usual is in sync with the choice of the actors. Both Matt Damon and Christian Bale are seasoned stars, and well-known in the type of characters they portray in this film. Damon, despite his great range, may well be the poster boy for the roles of Hollywood trustworthy good guys. The earthy, at times righteously angry Shelby with his heart in the right place fits the bill perfectly. Bale? Vice versa. Known, both in real life and on the silver screen, as the difficult type, he portrays a variation of his 2010 Oscar-winning character in The Fighter. The film is at its best when the two men appear (or wrestle – easily the biggest laugh of the movie) together. But it is Bale who is the highlight of the film with his witty semi-aggressive banter infused with heartwarming sense of calm.

Surprisingly, the family sub-plot, the dreaded pit into which many great movies crash and burn, is refreshing as well. The film avoids the quintessential conflict of a man torn between his passion and the limits his family represents. Ford v Ferrari instead uses Ken’s supportive family as another way to show how great cars are. Their sweet scenes provide a crucial counterpoint to the brutal bluntness Ken reserves for pretty much everyone else. It makes him not only a likable anti-hero type of guy but also a genuinely sympathetic character.

Italians? More like Bond villains

What Ford v Ferarri doesn’t manage to avoid, however, is strong nationalism. Despite one of the main characters being British, the film is unashamedly American. It doesn’t linger on material symbols of the country, but it puts the individual and entrepreneurial spirit in revolt against the elites on an often too obvious a pedestal. The occasional down-putting of other nations is stereotypical at best, Italian engineers getting the worst of it. Throw in a huge amount of World War II glory, and there emerges the other, less enjoyable side of the movie.

Ford v. Ferarri is a very easy film to like. Thanks to the exciting racing sequences and Oscar-worthy performances, viewers can get lost in in with the snap of their fingers. There is much to enjoy about the film, yet not all of it is as brilliant. What soils the experience is the overly American feeling and the Bond-like villains the film makes out of other nations.

But damn if it still doesn’t make for great cinema.

TL;DR: Ford v Ferrari is a 2019 sports drama about the victory of Ford at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Viewers are left glued to the screen thanks to the exhilarating racing sequences. The film also offers Oscar-worthy performances of Matt Damon and Christian Bale. What doesn’t sit so well is the overly patriotic spirit of the film, especially as it often uses stereotypes about other nations to prove its point. However, all is forgotten once the brilliant Le Mans sequence starts.

8/10