Ford v. Ferrari

THE GIST: A famed competition in the mid '60s between Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari, who scorned Ford's offer to buy his troubled company, led to a race against time (and the laws of physics) to build a Ford vehicle capable of beating a Ferrari race car at Le Mans. The gargantuan task fell to car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles.

Ford v. Ferrari was rightly nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. The script is tight and solid as is the direction. The camera work that went into filming the car tests and races alone is mesmerizing.

And then there is the excellent acting work that we get not just from Christian Bale and Matt Damon, but also Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Josh Lucas, and the great Tracy Letts.

I had no idea about this rivalry, which is understandable since it was before my time, but being from Italy I certainly understand the pride Enzo Ferrari felt in always seeing his cars win these famed races.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Watch it for the edge-of-your-seat races, the display of ingenuity that went into creating such brilliant machines, or the face offs between the racers or the chieftains at their backs. Either way, you'll find plenty of reasons for giving this film two solid thumbs-up.

Grade: 8