Ford v Ferrari

          Based on the true story of the battle for racing supremacy at the 1966 Le Mans, this new drama may not be perfect but its definitely a fun ride.

          The film stars Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, the only American to win Le Mans, now sidelined by a bad heart and staying in the game by designing high performance cars and Christian Bale as legendary race car driver Ken Miles.

         When Henry Ford II is rebuffed by a merger between Ford and Ferrari, Ford, played by Tracy Letts, hires Shelby and tells him to "go to war" in an effort to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. Shelby know his best chance to win is with Ken Miles driving and recruits him to join the team that will build the Ford GT 40, the car with the best chance to defeat Ferrari.

          Directed by James Mangold, this is a testosterone fueled ride with little room left for women in this male dominated sport. To give the film it's emotional heart, we find Miles connecting with his wife Mollie (played by Caitriona Balfe) and son Peter (played by Noah Jupe) every chance he can get, on or off the track. We learn very little of Carroll Shelby's life beyond a bad heart and the determination to design and build the dream car for Ford. What is clear is the great chemistry between Mr. Damon and Mr. Bale, playing these two real friends teaming up with one goal in mind. The film also co-stars Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca, Josh Lucas as Leo Bebee, Ford's executive VP and Ray McKinnon as Phil Remington, Shelby's right hand man.

             The driving sequences are spectacular and deserve to be seen on the biggest screen possible. The cinematography is outstanding as well as the sound effects, especially during Le Mans. The music, however, was a big distraction and didn't add anything except constant droning in the background.

             Any racing enthusiast will already know the film's outcome but will still enjoy the the ride as will any racing novice, if nothing else, just based on the star quality of the film's leading men and some incredible race cars.