Ford v Ferrari Movie Review
Ford v Ferrari was released on August 30 2019 and quickly made a big impact on the racing community and movie fans around the world.
Ford v Ferrari was released on August 30 2019 and quickly made a big impact on the racing community and movie fans around the world. The movie was based on how the Ford Motor company was losing popularity very steeply. Ford was just not able to keep up with other companies with their racing sponsors and new sleek looking car designs. If they didn't act quickly, Ford would definitely go bankrupt and they would have to sell their decades of making cars for all of America. Originally Henry Ford II was hesitant and didn't want to even test the waters of the race community. He was afraid of two things, having a slow car and not having the driver to drive the car itself.
Although One man wouldn't accept defeat, he had too much pride in a company that wasn't even his. That man was Lee laccoca, Ford Motor Company executive. Instead of shying away from the problem, Lee took it as a challenge and started his pitch to Mr. Ford. He preached the fact that people crave that feeling of going fast and being able to harness such great power. And in order to gain popularity again they would need one, make faster cars and two, race them. Mr. Ford was a little hesitant at first because of the lack of money since they closed the factory. But with a little nudging and presenting he gave in and decided to officially start Ford's racing generation.
They originally thought in order to do this they would need some help. They immediately turned to one of the most renowned and popular car brands in the world, Ferrari. Ford and Iacocca pitched an idea to Ferrari that if they merge companies they can make the most cars and the fastest cars and climb the ranks together. Mr Enzo Ferrrari actually seemed impressed by Iacocca's pitch and went to review it. But upon returning Mr. Ferrari combusted in anger and considered their deal as throwing shade on the infamous Ferrari motor company. Ford was puzzled because they had nowhere else to go to obtain knowledge of the racing community. And they couldn't make a car that can compete with Porsche or Ferrari especially in a 24 hour circuit like Le Mans by themselves.
So their second option was a very unknown sports car manufacturer but a very knowledgeable owner, Carrol Shelby. They originally talked to Shelby with the intention of buying his company but, on second thought they thought that Shelby could actually help them in their build because of his race experience. They got to work in a hangar in a nearby airfield and eventually came up with the Fort GT40. an aerodynamic 4.7 liter Windsor small block engine pushing 500 horsepower and way over 6000 rpm. Ford had done it. With the help of a racing legend they have created a beast capable of conquering the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now all they needed was a driver.
Carroll Shelby had an idea of who would be the best driver for Le Mans and that was Ken Miles. Ken was a weekend racer and didn't win a lot of money or have a lot of experience in races like Le Mans. But he had the skill, Carroll Shelby could see how well he drove the car. He not only drove the car but he worked on it and tweaked the car's issues based on feedback on the road. When Shelby realised how much natural talent Ken had he knew he had to be the driver in Le Mans.
But Mr. Ford thought otherwise, he thought of Ken as a washed up grease monkey trying to make some money. He thought he needed someone with a more rich background just to keep the Ford name good. Mr. Ford makes a lot of mistakes in this movie and shows his lack of knowledge of cars. But Shelby makes sure no Le Man's losing decisions are made. Eventually Shelby convinces Mr.Ford to strike a deal.
Ken Miles will race for Shelby American in the 24 Hours of Daytona. And if he wins he will be the racer for Ford in Le Mans. Ken ends up pushing the car way over its limits and winning the 24 Hours of Daytona. With a few more tweaks and practice laps Ford will officially be ready for their first ever Le Mans race. With a lot of weight on their shoulders and a lot of competition this race would be hard. But it's nothing but a little challenge for Ken Miles.
Ford Motor Company ended up finishing the race with flying colors and all three GT40s lined up ready to cross the finish line in the race and take the title as the first American motor company to win Le Mans. The cars lined up in a line because of Mr. Ford’s request and this would be the most devastating feeling for Ken Miles as he didn't win the race because the two GT40s were ahead of him by inches.
Although Ford had done it they have started the most generational line of motor vehicles and also claimed their spot in the racing community while at it. In my opinion I think Ford v Ferrari is an amazing movie with great detail and cinematics. Car movies are by far the hardest to create because of the limited angles you can get of someone actively driving a car. But they always seem to be the best no matter the movie. Some good examples of good car movies are Fast And Furious and Speed but nothing tops this movie. This movie does great on showing Ford’s history and comes up while giving you a fun action filled film. I could no doubt watch this 100 times and 100 more. I'm rating this movie on a scale of 1-10 and I would easily give this a 9/10.