While the true incidents of this auto racing story occurred when I was very young, I actually remember some of the drivers, like Dan Gurney and Bruce McLaren. I don’t recall Ken Miles, who disappeared before I was aware of him, but this movie revived a lot of memories for me about watching racing as a child, and how cool I thought it was. Ford v Ferrari now adds a tremendous amount of backstory and character to those memories; it is an enriching and wonderfully entertaining movie.

James Mangold’s film follows elite designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon, in a standout performance) as he is persuaded by Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts, in a very risky performance, bordering on caricature) to develop a racing car to challenge the Ferrari company’s dominance at Le Mans. Shelby is in, as long as he can work with driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale, in a standout performance), whom the Ford executives feel is just not Ford material. The ensuing drama — and comedy — make for a terrific two-and-a-half hour tale.

So many movies do not bother to delve into their subject matter deeply, but this one takes the time and effort, and the rewards are enormous. We learn about racing and the racers’ need for speed in personal ways, how starting over again and again is necessary to create optimal aerodynamics and power, and how easily the “suits” in a big company are willing to sacrifice the necessary talent that makes greatness possible for a particular image (all right, we already knew that last point). This story luxuriates in its period detail and racing insights, and everything that happens does so due to character. It feels absolutely convincing.

The racing material is top notch, but the personal drama is even better, making this one of the best films of the year. It largely avoids cliché while being both informative and entertaining. Perhaps most telling, it makes one wish one were actually there, helping with the development of the unlikely racing car and enjoying the hell out of its triumph. James Mangold can be a great filmmaker (his 1997 drama Cop Land is one of my favorites), and he has reached the heights once again. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆. 23 November 2019.