Although the film’s title just screams racing film, it’s not just about the cars. Ford v Ferrari is a fantastic film about friendship and overcoming the odds. The film’s “David vs. Goliath” story isn’t just about the Ford company going against the unstoppable Scuderia Ferrari team at Le Mans. It’s also about Shelby American taking on the businessmen and red tape at Ford as well.
But like most “David vs. Goliath” type of films, the Ford men and Ferrari bigwigs don’t have a ton of depth to them. There’s nothing deep about them or their stories at all. They’re simply there to act as foils to Shelby and Miles.
Which is fine because the heart and soul of the film is the relationship between smooth-talking Carroll Shelby and the brash Ken Miles. They might not seem like they would get along, but as they say, opposites attract. Their relationship is what gets you to root for their success—especially Ken Miles. The man does so many things for the team, but he continually gets screwed over because of his personality.
Ken Miles shouldn’t be a person you root for, but Christian Bale’s charm makes him a crowd favorite. He exudes a ton of personality that gives Ford v Ferrari a ton of laughs and emotional moments. At the same time, Matt Damon is great as Carroll Shelby. His charisma makes his performance as Shelby believable. He also can go toe-to-toe with Bale’s fantastic performance as well.
Overall, Ford v Ferrari is an engaging and emotional David vs. Goliath type of story. Both Matt Damon and Christian Bale give stellar performances, and their chemistry on-screen truly feels authentic. Their unpredictable friendship simply pulls us into this gripping tale. But if Damon and Bale’s performances pulled you in, then the film’s racing scenes will keep you glued to the screen. The edge of your seat action puts you right into the driver’s seat alongside Ken Miles. Ford v Ferrari is a film that runs like a well-oiled Ford GT Supercar.
Movie Rating: 5/5 atoms
Video
Ford v Ferrari hits Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG-AVC with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. In general, the picture has an overly high contrast which, in turn, raises the brightness level by a lot. As a result, there’s a good amount of bloom in the bright areas of the film. On the other hand, the black levels have a wide range of shades of black. Some scenes contain a lighter shade while daytime and scenes with bright lights have a deeper black. When it comes to colors, the colors are bright and bold. At the same time, the skin tones look natural as well. But the best part of the video is the detail clarity. From the dirt and grime on the mechanic suits to the Ford GT40, a lot of the minute details can be seen clearly. Overall, this is a nice-looking picture.
Video Rating: 4/5 atoms
Audio
Ford v Ferrari hits Blu-ray with a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Right from start, you can hear just how immersive this mix is with the sound effects of cars racing around the soundstage. The non-racing scenes are front-loaded, but the mix does immerse you when a scene calls for it. Scenes taking place in the garage hangar has audible atmospherics around the soundstage. However, it’s the racing scenes that make the audio mix come to life. The sound effects boom through the soundstage and dynamically move over all channels. The mix also layers its instruments across all channels as well—giving more depth to Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders’ score. Thankfully, with as much chaos as there is in the mix, the dialogue can still be heard in the center channel. Overall, this is an amazing mix worthy of the sound editing Oscar that they won.
Audio Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
Special Features
Ford v Ferrari has the following special features on the Blu-ray disc:
- Bringing The Rivalry to Life
- Prologue: The Perfect Lap
- Directing the Rivalry
- The Real Ken Miles
- The Real Carroll Shelby
- The Real Ford GT40
- What Makes a Good Movie Car
- Creating an Era
- Epilogue: Brotherhood
- Theatrical Trailers
“Bringing the Rivalry to Life” is an in-depth hour-long featurette that (obviously) covers a ton of subjects. That being said, certain topics are covered at a speedy pace in some of the episodes. For one thing, you’ll learn quite a bit about Ken Miles in “The Real Ken Miles” but topics like the production and costume design about the characters are covered for a bit. Not to mention, there are several times where you’ll get a “love fest” where the cast and crew praise each other. Now, if you’re looking to learn more about the cars then you’re in luck. In this featurette, you’ll get to learn a lot about both the real-life cars and the movie cars in the film. At the same time, you’ll get to see how they shot all of the incredible racing sequences in the film.
Special Features Rating: 4/5 atoms
Overall, Ford v Ferrari is a fast-paced and entertaining thrill ride anchored by Matt Damon and Christian Bale’s charismatic performances. The video transfer has its issues but the audio mix is bloody fantastic. Now although the special features only have the featurette, the hour-long featurette is still extremely informative.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Fox Home Entertainment.
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