Ferrari                   4 stars

There is a lot of heat and noise coming from the fast cars on the roads of Italy in Michael Mann’s new movie Ferrari about the man behind the sports car company that bears his name. There is also a lot of heat being generated off the track too coming from Ferrari’s wife, Laura (Penelope Cruz in one of her finest performances) who is unhappy with her place in her marriage to Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver). This auto racing movie set in 1957 does concern competition between drivers of the world’s fastest machines on land, Formula One race cars, but it is also about the challenge Ferrari is facing, trying to save his company from bankruptcy while also keeping his life with his mistress, Lina (Shailene Woodley) secret from his wife. Early on we see what Laura is capable of as her fiery temper leads her to fire a gun, nearly hitting Ferrari. There is no hiding her feelings as only Cruz can show. She is still hurting from the death of her only son who died one year before that she blames on Enzo. But Ferrari needs to accommodate Laura as she controls most of the automobile company. The company is not selling enough sports cars to keep it afloat, but if one of its race cars can defeat Maserati in the famous Mille Miglia, the thousand-mile race across the hills of Italy, then it will be possible to sell many more of the expensive cars and save the company. Ferrari must also convince the right investor to help finance his venture so he must manipulate them into seeing things his way. You can see that Enzo has a lot on his mind. The movie viewer has a lot on his mind too as there is a lot of drama going on when not on the racecourse. Of course, there are plenty of exciting scenes of the race cars hurtling around the track and competing against each other on the road around hairpin turns through the countryside. I can’t imagine how it was possible to film scenes like this, but they are thrilling. There is no hiding the hazards of the sport in this era as is shown by some very graphic scenes that will silence the audience. Adam Driver displays his usual intensity, though not exploding with rage like he has in other roles. He keeps a subdued presence, but you can imagine him boiling beneath the surface as Ferrari maintains control over how the drivers are to handle the cars in the race and deal with a hostile wife at home. We don’t really get to know the drivers well, other than one who is especially eager to win at all costs. Patrick Dempsey portrays Piero Taruffi, the most experienced driver who has somehow survived to an advanced age for racecar drivers. There are some interesting things to see from this time, such as cars that carried two passengers and how the occupants sometimes have to work on a disabled car during a race to get it running again. There is so much packed in the two-hour plus running time that by the end of the race it is almost immaterial who the winner is. The movie is not for everyone, but anyone with a passing interest in auto racing should see it. As well as any fans of the talented Penelope Cruz.