We haven’t had a really good racing drama since Ron Howard’s Rush (So underrated!), but if you’re feeling the need for speed Ford v Ferrari may scratch the itch. Starring Christian Bale as British racer Ken Miles and Matt Damon as American car designer Carroll Shelby, the film has been pegged as a possible Oscar right from the very beginning, and looks like it could have everything a racing fan could want in a movie. Fast cars, cool dudes, grandiose speeches about victory and war. I mean, there’s no women in it really, but this isn’t Fast & Furious, people!
Shelby and Miles were brought together by Ford to build from scratch a car that could challenge Ferrari’s stranglehold on the racing industry. Specifically they were hired to design something that could win the 1966 Le Mans championship in France. So it’s not quite the racer vs. racer showdown that we had in Rush, but the competitive spirit, along with some good ol’ American ingenuity and bravado, are front and center.
Continuing to ricochet in weight depending on the role, Bale lost 40lbs of Dick Cheney weight to play Miles, while Damon added about 10lbs in cowboy hats and Texas accents. The rest of the cast includes Jon Bernthal, Tracy Letts, Noah Jupe, Remo Girone, Caitriona Balfe, and JJ Field. Not too shabby.
More reason to get excited is that it’s directed and written by James Mangold, who has done tremendous work previously on Logan, for which he earned an Oscar nomination, 3:10 to Yuma, and The Wolverine. I can’t wait for this.
Ford v Ferrari opens November 15th.
