Movie Review | 'Ferrari' 

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“Ferrari” is director Michael Mann’s first feature film since 2015’s misbegotten cyber thriller “Blackhat.” Like most of Mann’s movies, there’s a vocal fanbase of his last film — because even when his movies aren’t universally popular, they always find some level of support. “Ferrari” will likely do the same.

Mann’s latest, about a tumultuous year in Enzo Ferrari’s career, attempts to have the best of both worlds in terms of what is expected from a Mann movie. The director, often known for his slam-bang thrillers like “Heat” or “Collateral,” has taken on real life figures in “Ali” or “The Insider.”

“Ferrari” aims to offer a glimpse into Enzo’s life while dazzling audiences with race scenes. The results are often mixed, never finding a comfortable balance between the familial drama and the race sequences.

Adam Driver stars as Enzo Ferrari, an ex-racer turned businessman. The film is set in 1957, as Enzo’s company is on the verge of bankruptcy and he must secure money quickly to restore its reputation. His plan is to have his racers tackle the Mille Miglia, a race that covers 1,000 miles around Italy, but Enzo quickly learns this is not an easy fix for his company’s reputation.

Interspersed — and occasionally overlapping — with his business ventures is Enzo’s equally tumultuous personal life. He’s married to Laura (Penélope Cruz), but is carrying on an affair with Lina (Shailene Woodley, in an inconsistent Italian accent), with whom he shares a child. Laura knows of her husband’s affairs, but she and Enzo lost a son and her grief supersedes any hurt from Enzo’s infidelity.


Driver is one of the best actors of this generation and reliably good as Enzo, if limited by Troy Kennedy Martin’s screenplay (based on the book “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine” by Brock Yates, a journalist and Lockport, NY native who lived in Western New York during much of his life). The movie’s constant cutting back-and-forth between Enzo’s business dealings and personal life never allows much of the movie to take dramatic hold in any meaningful way, outside of a few key scene’s with Cruz’s Laura.

Cruz is the lightning rod of the movie, who makes the whole film come alive in individual moments when it begins to lag. She’s an interesting juxtaposition to Driver’s stoic Enzo, delivering a much more outward performance to his internal one. Her performance is big, but not distracting. The grief her character carries spills over into most of her interactions with her husband, but it’s the pain Cruz carries in her eyes that is most effective.

This year has been one of master filmmakers delivering interesting work, and many people will be excited to see Mann’s return. On paper, he’s a great fit for a movie about Enzo Ferrari and his signature touch of telling a story about a historical male figure is certainly on display. But there’s a pervasive lack of focus throughout the movie which becomes more noticeable as it progresses. Everything is leading up to the Mille Miglia, which feels uneven as the remainder of the movie. Sometimes, the camera is placed just right on the back of the car, which makes viewers feel like they are zooming around Italy with Enzo’s racers. Other times, the more severe, dramatic moments happen quickly but aren’t given proper time to make an impact.

“Ferrari” will delight Mann’s acolytes who have been awaiting his return, but may leave others wanting more.

Matt Passantino is a contributing writer to CITY. Feedback about this article can be directed to [email protected].