By: Keaton Marcus

Ever wanted to see the Americans pitted against the high-class Italians, well here you have it, radiantly showcased in James Mangold's "Ford v Ferrari". Mangold didn't take one false move in this loud, dramatic and often hilarious film based on the true story of Le Mans '66. The cast is expertly chosen, the screenplay and direction fierce, while still maintaining trust in the racing genre. Heck, that's not even the most impressive factor, that goes to the fact that it still manages excellent entertainment value despite a long running-time. Sure, it clocks for 154 minutes, but this wonderful addition to the cinema is worth every second. I wouldn't blame movie-goers to at first believe that this is a slow production, but oh, will you be wrong.

Ford is struggling, losing badly. Their rival Ferrari have won four out of the last five Le Mans, and they are getting ready to take the trophy for 1966. That's when Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) decides to take on Enzo Ferrari in making the company's first hot, fast, and sleek race car. That's when racer Carroll Shelby comes in (an astonishing Matt Damon), who is a former, 1959 Le Mans champion and a born and raised Texan. Shelbey is to hire the perfect driver for this year's 24-hour race, ending up finding British loud-mouth Ken Miles (a flawless outing from Christian Bale), who knows automobiles inside out and is determined to win. That's the basic, yet so intense formula for "Ford v Ferrari", fast cars, a 60's setting, and the two leading men showing people who're boss.

That's what you've been wanting to hear. Were the two main leads as incredible as they should be? Well, you should hope so, especially with stars of this caliber. Don't fret now, Damon and Bale make for a comedic, and stunning duo. The former as the cool, calm and collective champion, and the latter as a dirty, know-it-all. Nevertheless, while they have their differences, this biopic is almost as much about bonding as it is about race cars. With his most recent masterpiece being "The Martian", Damon can turn a seemingly dull role into a conundrum of excitement. This is while Bale has the talent to both play a square-faced Batman, and a charismatic race-car driver. Putting it in a broken-down way: these two should be your first choice in any situation.

James Mangold, Quentin Tarantino, and the two modern-classics this year about the vibrant '60s. You don't know what the heck I'm talking about, do you? I'm vaguely referring to both "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and "Ford v Ferrari" both being some of the best pictures of 2019, and being hip throwbacks to the same period. Additionally, the films have an A-list cast. There's Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in the former, along with Christian Bale and Matt Damon in the latter. One thing that audiences will know is that Mangold knows how to get down, dirty and make a nearly-perfect production, with his talents featured wisely in the pic given. What's for certain is that the theater will be dizzy after such a gem has been projected.

The final opinion is: "Ford v Ferrari" is a delightful addition to the genre while highlighting incredible cinematography, sharp direction, and keen performances...$PLURGE IT

By: Keaton Marcus

Box Office Info:

Opening: 31.4M

Domestic Total: 117.6M

Worldwide Total: 225.5M