It’s been two nights since I watched Ford v Ferrari, and I’m not sure there’s anything about this film that I don’t like.

There are films that after a night or two of rumination, my opinion on the film begins to lessen. My thoughts turn into words and the more words I write the more I find myself expressing distaste or exploring new detractions.

from IMDB

If you’d like to take my opinion with a grain of salt, as you should with any critic, I will say that I’m an avid racing fan. Racing is one of the many appeals Ford v Ferrari delivers on. Ford v Ferrari features epic race scenes, but racing is only one aspect of a multi-layered film that analyzes innovation and those that stifle it. Ford v Ferrari is about where humans find purity, even if its in the most unlikely of places.

There is a significant focus on blue-collar ideals clashing with white-collar mismanagement. In between this battle is former Le Mans winner and current dealership manager Carroll Shelby who wedges himself in as a mediator between these sentiments. Shelby is portrayed by Matt Damon at his most endearing, easily as heroic as he was in The Martian. Shelby represents the battle between the good and necessary in our consciousness.

Christian Bale undergoes more significant character remodeling as he plays a British racing mechanic with a temper problem. Bale is Ken Miles, the central focus of the film’s character development, and Bale is up to task fully embodying who Ken Miles may have been.

I usually don’t mention a film soundtrack this early but in this case, I think it’s more than appropriate to recognize Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders who composed an excellent and exhilarating soundtrack. The signature song, Le Mans ’66, the race the film is based around, is the peak of the film’s sound design blending a suspenseful pulsating melody with full throttle racing. Sound design is critical in a film with racing scenes and there’s a striking balance with music and roaring car engines.

James Mangold directs Ford v Ferrari heavily investing in the relationship between Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. The film details some backstory on Shelby and Miles but also details the relationship between Ford and Ferrari. The best racing stories are built on setting the highest emotional stakes.

The story of the ’66 Le Mans race is only the destination of this journey. The pair of Shelby and Miles make this film the complete experience it is. Bale and Damon delivered beyond expectations. Bale’s ability to transform himself into another human being can never be appreciated enough. Damon cannot be shortchanged here as he is the emotional centerpiece the film moves through. The life of Carroll Shelby has much more material than this film has the time for.

Mangold strikes a balance between not wasting time with impervious scenes or dialogue, but he never rushes through any moment. Mangold allows certain moments to linger to add lasting impact. One of the most important moments is a long pause after Shelby takes Henry Ford II on the ride of his life. It’s a scene Tracy Letts, who plays Ford, gets absolutely correct.

There’s subtlety in performances such as Ray McKinnon as Shelby’s right-hand mechanic who only knows what he knows. Miles’s son, Peter, asks the mechanic Phil about if he knows what it’s like being on fire after Peter watched his dad climb out of a burning vehicle he crashed the night before. Instead of giving a transcendent Hollywood-esque response, Phil awkwardly bumbles through some reassurance. These small moments allow some of the more nonsensical scenes to breathe easier such as when Shelby locks Ford executive Leo Beebe in his office. Speaking of…

As with any film that portrays historic characters and a historic event, there are plenty of details that are embellished or glossed over. The most influential was pinning Ford executive Leo Beebe as the obstacle to Shelby’s success. At this point in cinema, it has to be well understood that there are going to be characters who are not accurately represented in Hollywood films. If a couple of rich people have to get mad because they weren’t factually portrayed how they wanted to be, well that’s just too bad, isn’t it? These are stories based on real events, not a documentary.

The result is a story that becomes more relatable to common people. It goes back to the blue vs white collar mentality. The frustrations and stifling imagery of micromanagement are candy for the masses and I’m buying all of it.

Ford v Ferrari reminds me fondly of Moneyball as both films shared many of the same strong performances from stars and supporting roles alike. Both films told stories of moments in history that weren’t supposed to happen, but because we live in such an inventive and amazing world, they did happen.