'Ford v Ferrari' review: With no dull moments, the film guarantees racing enthusiasts a good time

The year is 1963. The Ford Motor Company is struggling with sales and cannot connect with the youth. To bring about a turnaround in fortunes, the company has a bold idea: Participate in and win one of the most prestigious car races in the world, the ‘24 Hours of Le Mans’. To do this, they’d have to defeat a Ferrari team that has dominated the race for four years.

As with any good historical biopic, 'Ford v Ferrari' is less about the competition between the vehicles and more about the men who pilot these exceptional machines. The men in question are: Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), who joins Ford as an automobile designer; and Ken Miles (Christian Bale), a British driver with extraordinary aptitude and a terrible reputation for being inflexible and unpredictable.



They are brought together with less than 90 days to go for the race. In this time, they need to develop a vehicle that competes in the race, while also battling bureaucracy in the organisation.

Together, the duo is effortlessly mesmerising: Shelby and Miles were strong personalities, so Damon and Bale use this to fuel their own dynamics. Besides them, the supporting cast also does a solid job.

Director Mangold gets not only the character arcs right, he also nails it in the racing sequences, ensuring that though it’s got a long run time of two-and-a-half hours, there is never a dull moment. Motorheads and racing enthusiasts are guaranteed a good time.