Ford v. Ferrari (2019) * * *

Directed by:  James Mangold

Starring:  Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Catriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Noah Jupe, Ray McKinnon

The best scenes in Ford v Ferrari involve the racing of the Ford vehicle challenging Ferrari's supremacy at Le Mans, a harrowing 24-hour race which never had an American-made car win the event.    Ferrari was in the midst of a five-year run of domination when Ford CEO Henry Ford II (Letts) turned an insult from Enzo Ferrari into a mission to dethrone him at Le Mans.   Henry Ford II wasn't exactly a nice guy either, and neither was his right-hand man Leo Beebe (Lucas), a corporate snake who makes it his mission to undermine Carroll Shelby (Damon) and mercurial driver Ken Miles (Bale) at every turn.   Why?   Because Miles doesn't behave like a "Ford Man" and even when Miles finally succeeds in making his way on to the race team, Beebe doesn't sit back and take it.   He's a prick because he can be. 

As if putting the Ford team through a daunting 24-hour hell race isn't enough, Shelby and Miles have to withstand corporate interference and politics just to get their car on the track.   Shelby is a successful racer turned race car designer, while Miles is a stubborn hothead racer who alienates corporate sponsors and is in trouble with the IRS.    But both would love to not only win Le Mans, but give Beebe the symbolic finger in the process.  

Ford v Ferrari is a satisfying film with authentic racing scenes and some great chemistry between Damon and Bale, who play guys with different personalities with a love of race cars at their core.   This is where they find common ground.    That, and telling guys like Beebe and Ford where to go.
Do they win Le Mans?   I won't spoil it for you, but the ending, which one would think is a screenwriter's invention, actually happened.    As does Miles' fate shortly after, which truth be told makes the final fifteen minutes more of a downer than Ford v. Ferrari needs.

If you're a racing enthusiast, you'll love the technical jargon thrown about by the mechanics and techs working on a superior race car.   You'll also love the Le Mans scenes.    Those not as crazy about races will still love the give and take between Shelby and Miles, and the convincing recreation of the period in which Le Mans was the center of the racing universe.