We know the brand and its prestige, but not many of us are aware of the storied history of Ferrari, particularly its origins and the various challenges it faced over the years. Enzo Ferrari is an enigmatic figure in the world of engineering – some view him as a revolutionary who pioneered a new style of luxury with his cars, others as an egomaniac with delusions of grandeur. Perhaps the best way to look at him is as a combination of them both, which is what Michael Mann set out to achieve when he first envisioned Ferrari decades ago, with the general idea being to provide a glimpse into the trials and tribulations of the titular character during a few key moments of his life and career, particularly when he was at his peak as a businessman and engineer. Taking place in the year 1957, roughly a decade since Enzo and his wife Laura (who many consider to be the true genius behind Ferrari) started the company, the film examines a few moments that took place in quite a short period, oscillating between Enzo’s determination to position his name as the greatest in automobiles, and the domestic life of the family, which was in many ways far more dramatic – and in both instances, tragedy seems to follow the couple wherever they go, making it seem as if they are cursed or simply find themselves victims of a string of misfortunes. In the process, Mann shows that he is still a master of his craft, and while it is not the most dynamic of his films, with a lot of that spark of ingenuity on which he used to rely seemingly being less sharp than it was in the past, Ferrari is unquestionably a very effective film that serves as solid, well-made entertainment for audiences that want thrills and suspense without needing to rely on anything other than the facts, which the director and screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin work closely to infuse into every frame of this film, which functions as an intriguing exploration of the life and times of someone who personal life may not be widely known, but his influence on modern business remains indelible.

Based on a cursory glance at both the premise and what was given to us as marketing material, we would assume that Ferrari is a film that prioritises the sporting side of the story – after all, the name is more associated with this aspect in general, so it was only natural to assume this was what Mann was intending to focus on the most. However, we soon learn that the film is crafted as three separate narrative strands that are woven together, creating quite a distinct portrait of the characters. Racing serves as the foundation for the story, with the events revolving around a few key races in which Ferrari participates, with Enzo intends to win these races in the hopes of establishing his brand as the most impressive in the sport. However, these are contrasted with the business of running the company, particularly the efforts taken by Enzo and his team to promote their brand, and the domestic side, focusing on the dynamic between Enzo and the two women he loves, namely his wife Laura, and his mistress Lina Lardi, who are aware of each other’s presence, which leads to even more tension within the family. Choosing to set the film within quite a short amount of time was a tremendous decision, since not only was this year one that was unusually active in terms of Ferrari’s personal and professional interests, but it allowed the film to take on quite a fast-paced, active approach, showing the breadth of these events without needing to rely on conventions. This method ensures that there is something of value in Ferrari for every viewer – those who are interested in the racing are given some terrific moments, and those who are more focused on how the business was run, or the domestic life of the characters are given sufficient material to keep them invested. This is the brilliance of Mann as a filmmaker – he is always going to offer us a wide range of topics even within a story seemingly as straightforward as this one, and it becomes a much more layered affair than it appears to be at the start.

With the ebb and flow of the project’s development over the years, various actors signed on to play Enzo Ferrari, and ultimately left every time plans fell apart. Ultimately, the role went to Adam Driver, who proved to be quite an intriguing choice – the physical resemblance is not strong, and he is slightly too young to be playing Ferrari at this age since he was bordering on his golden years, which makes his hubris all the more interesting. Yet, he disappears into the role, which has become a common occurrence with his performances, embodying every aspect of the character with a gusto that has made him one of the greatest actors of his generation, and someone seemingly unable to deliver a bad performance or at least one that is in any way lazy. Despite not being a perfect fit to play Ferrari, he leads the film extremely well and delivers solid, reliable work that matches the tempo of the story and gives Mann the leading performance he needs to make this film work. Acting across from Driver are a few notable actors who deliver some good performances as well – Penélope Cruz is as wonderful as ever, playing the heart and soul of the company, a woman whose business acumen and refusal to buckle down to patriarchal standards made her one of the most powerful people in Italy at the time, despite standing mainly in the shadows. The Lady Macbeth of the story, Cruz is exceptional and steals every scene she is in – it is hardly a surprise that the best moments of Ferrari are those in which Driver and Cruz share the screen since they both commit wholeheartedly to these parts. Both Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey try out more character-based roles, playing supporting roles that may not be entirely notable, but help supplement the story, making it even richer and more interesting. Ferrari makes good use of its actors and eventually crafts a compelling narrative from their strong performances that are much better than we may have expected based on a cursory glance.

However, as solid as it may be in terms of the story it tells and its efforts to look at multiple dimensions of this character, Ferrari is not as exciting a film after the initial novelty wears off. Mann wanted to look at many different sides of this character, but the result is that he compresses far too much into two hours, which means that the pace may be rapid-fire and doesn’t waste a single moment, but also unfortunately prevents the story from lingering on some aspects that could perhaps have been further explored. For example, the climax of the film takes place around the event known as the Crash at Guidizzolo, in which nine people were killed after one of Ferrari’s drivers hit something during a race – and this tragedy itself could have been the subject of the entire film, with both the event itself and its aftermath being a watershed moment for Ferrari, both as a businessman and as a person. Many elements of this film could have been further explored, and while we can reconfigure this as something of a positive since a film that makes us want to see more is inherently clearly something worth our time, it does feel like it doesn’t go as far as it could have gone, especially given the rich material (with the source material Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine by Brock Yates being quite a strong text that covers a lot of the titular character’s life), and how willing Mann was to spend time on various intriguing aspects of his life. It is often a very conventional film, and while it does suitably avoid the traditional cradle-to-grave structure usually found in these biographical films, it can’t help but become the embodiment of a few cliches in itself, sometimes relying slightly too heavily on heavy-handed emotions in some of the more dramatic moments. Yet, these are all minor flaws in an otherwise solid film, and it is difficult to imagine a more imaginative approach being any more successful, especially since we find a lot of its material is better suited for a more traditional style of filmmaking.

There is very little doubt that Ferrari is the epitome of a passion project – it’s not the most notorious example of a film gestating much longer than was necessary, but with a career as selective as the one Mann has cultivated over the years (with this being only the second film he has made in fifteen years), it does feel like it carries some degree of importance, which is why its sometimes more straight-laced approach is not quite ideal considering the fascinating subject matter but can easily be excused based solely on the fact that this is telling a story strong enough to exist on its own merits. Mann is a director who can be wickedly ambitious, or rely on traditions when the material calls for it – and Ferrari works best when it is employing common but reliable tactics more than trying to be subversive. There isn’t anything particularly daring about this film, but its efforts to do something with its material that feels like it is aiming to do more than just celebrate the legacy of an iconic figure without looking at his flaws in detail is worth a lot of credit, especially since there is always value in a more complex character study. Anchored by an extraordinary pair of performances from Driver and Cruz, and carried by a director who knows how to put together a thrilling drama that keeps the audience engaged, which is something that Mann has been doing for decades, and why he is viewed as one of the most reliable veteran directors of his generation. Ferrari seems conventional, but there are bespoke qualities that may not be particularly noteworthy on their own, but when blended with the traditional elements, they all coalesce in a remarkably earnest biographical drama that avoids cliches as far as possible and offers us solid entertainment, while still challenging us to look beneath the surface whenever possible.