REVIEW: Despite strong filmmaking, ‘Ferrari’ is largely unfocused

Sometimes even the most meticulously-made movies fall short.

That’s the case with director Michael Mann’s new biographical film centered on Italian car-maker Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver). The movie is set in 1957, with Ferrari gearing up for the annual Mile Miglia, or Thousand Miles. The Italian race event is another opportunity to show off his brand.

While this is happening, Ferrari’s company is  is in a difficult situation financially. To turn things around, a suggestion is made to merge  with another company, but it’s complicated because Ferrari’s estranged wife Laura (Penelope Cruz) owns half the shares. Their relationship has been strained since their son’s death and is even more so lately as Ferrari is having an affair.

Mann always takes great care in crafting a film. It’s true again with “Ferrari,” a flick that is technically fine-tuned and offers great moments of drama and suspenseful racing set pieces. Thanks to the efforts by Mann and his crew, there are some elite scenes in the movie.

However, in terms of adequately telling the story of Enzo Ferrari in a way that engages a viewer on an emotional level from start to finish, this picture doesn’t cross the finish line. Mann makes an attempt to explore Ferrari’s personal and professional lives, but each side of the figure feels disconnected.

Ferrari is a person who has thrown himself into his work, but it’s hard to get a read on if it’s driven by his passion for racing or if he’s trying to take his mind off his personal tragedy. The lack of cohesion between his personal and professional life causes the film to feel out of sync.

Despite the film including his ongoing mourning for his son, his affair, and his development of new vehicles for his company, “Ferrari,” doesn’t come across like a well-rounded portrait. Plus, it can be hard to understand exactly what’s taking place at times because of the accents.

Without subtitles, it is legitimately challenging to know exactly what characters are saying at times. It makes one wish one of two things, that the whole movie was just done in Italian with full subtitles, or people spoke more plain English.

It’s a shame because Driver and Cruz each give good performances. On top of having his usual great screen presence, Driver captures his character’s fierce focus and determination. Cruz, meanwhile, steals the show when she appears, nicely portraying the character’s many emotional layers. The same can’t be said about Shailene Woodley, though, who is miscast and out of place as Ferrari’s mistress.

As previously mentioned, the movie does have solid filmmaking, and it especially shows during the moments where racing is involved. The sound work is impeccable and the cinematography is top notch, resulting in high tension during the final part of the film.

“Ferrari” is somewhat informative in that it gives insight into the entrepreneur during a major segment of his life, plus it has adequate filmmaking and some good performances. However, the film leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn’t effectively juggle the different plot points, nor is it rich enough to be fully satisfying. 2.75 out of 5.