Ferrari (2023) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Michael Mann

Cast: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley

Release Date: March 12, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

It is the summer of 1957. Behind the spectacle of Formula 1, ex-racer Enzo Ferrari is in crisis. Bankruptcy threatens the factory he and his wife, Laura built from nothing ten years earlier. Their volatile marriage has been battered by the loss of their son, Dino a year earlier. Ferrari struggles to acknowledge his son Piero with Lina Lardi. Meanwhile, his drivers’ passion to win pushes them to the edge as they launch into the treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the Mille Miglia.

Please Note: NEON / Decal Releasing provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

THE MOVIE – REVIEW:

‘Ferrari’ focuses on the struggles of ex-racer and current car manufacturer Enzo Ferrari who along with his wife Laura find the business struggling to stay afloat in the Summer of 1957, while their marriage continually crumbles around the edges; at the same time Enzo struggles with his second home life and his illegitimate son who he is hesitant to claim as his own. Desperate to keep things afloat, Enzo reluctantly agrees to enlist a number of his cars and drivers in the massive Mille Miglia, a 1,000 mile race across Italy that if won could help regain the business the attention and popularity that it so desperately needs.

Directed by talented filmmaker Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) from a screenplay written by Troy Kennedy Martin (Kelly’s Heroes), Based on the Book “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine” by Brock Yates. Mann does a great job at the helm of ‘Ferrari’ guiding along this personal and exciting look at one key period of time in the life of Enzo Ferrari. The film’s cast includes Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman), Penélope Cruz (Vanilla Sky), Shailene Woodley (Dumb Money), Sarah Gadon (TV’s True Detective), Gabriel Leone (TV’s Dom), Jack O’Connell (Money Monster), and Patrick Dempsey (Thanksgiving) along with more and the majority each offer solid and fully capable performances for the most part in their respective roles.

‘Ferrari’ is a gorgeously crafted and immensely entertaining look at a few crucial months in the life of legendary car manufacturer Enzo Ferrari during the summer of 1957 as he fights to keep his company and passion afloat amidst a flurry of changes throughout the world, eventually leading to him entering his cars and drivers in the expansive Mille Miglia, spanning 1,000 miles throughout Italy. The film spends plenty of time focusing on the cars and the race itself, yet perhaps most fascinating is just how deeply it delves into the personal life of Enzo and those closest to him and thoroughly explores the scope and actions of the man, as well as his unique attitude and behavior in many areas, not to mention the manner in which those who surround him seem to perceive the man.

The film displays an impressive attention to detail that helps viewers to truly feel like they’ve been transported back to 1957 and really helps this truth based tale not only come alive but become a beautiful experience to behold just in the minute details alone. Everything from the cars themselves to the clothing, houses, landscapes and other various tidbits appearing onscreen remain faithful to the period it occurs within; even the rumble of the racecars sounding admirably realistic in design. It’s obvious from the onset that no area of the story has been ignored or overlooked and it once again emphasizes just how meticulous and dedicated filmmaker Michael Mann is to the project. The marvelous portrayal of Enzo Ferrari by Adam Driver only seals the deal and helps to really make this one evolve into something quite special.

OVERALL:

‘Ferrari’ is a fascinating look at one crucial summer in the life of Enzo Ferrari in the 1950’s that’s filled with struggle, hope and some terrifying moments. It’s a remarkably human and personal look at the ex-racer and car creator’s fight to stay relevant, along with some crucial moments and decisions revolving around his personal life; beautifully guided along by director Michael Mann and further complemented by a tremendous performance from Adam Driver in the lead. ‘Ferrari’ is definitely recommended, especially for anyone that’s a fan of notable filmmaker Michael Mann’s work over the years and/or any of the film’s noteworthy cast led by Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz. If you’re already even mildly excited for this one, then it should easily prove worthy of your time and the cost of a rental whenever you have the opportunity.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Ferrari’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty great as a whole and offers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that aside from a few very brief and largely unnoticeable artifacts and tidbits never suffers from any notable issues to be uncovered along the way. It shows outstanding detail throughout that beautifully showcases the various details and intricacies of the era and its vehicles, while also providing impressive detail and clarity on character faces and other surroundings throughout. Overall, this is a solid high definition video presentation that holds up well every step of the way and should have fans and first time viewers satisfied.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack sounds marvelous and provides a crisp, clean and often aggressive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly utilizes all seven available channels in order to send vehicles zipping throughout the various speakers, along with some weather effects, crowd chatter and music, plus plenty more, all without ever causing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible along the way. Overall, this is a fantastic Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that’s quite a treat at times and should thrill fans and first time viewers alike.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Ferrari’ features some entertaining extras in the way of various, brief Behind the Scenes Featurettes featuring interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are ‘Michael Mann: Building the World’ (running approximately 5 minutes in length), ‘Building Perfection’ (running approximately 3 minutes), ‘The Mille Miglia’ (approximately 3 minutes), ‘Adam Driver on Enzo Ferrari’ (5 minutes) and ‘Penelope Cruz on Laura Ferrari’ (4 minutes). Also included are the film’s ‘Teaser Trailer’ and ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (approximately 2 minutes apiece).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from NEON – Decal Releasing

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You can purchase your copy of the ‘Ferrari’ Blu-ray on Amazon HERE!

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