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Ford v Ferrari(2019)
Twentieth Century Fox Nov 15, 2019 | Wide
American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
Releases
Original Release | Nov 15, 2019
Box Office
Results
$31,474,958
$117,624,357
$107,883,853
$225,508,210
Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United States
Summaries
Plot Summary
- Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) is a professional racer who is forced into early retirement due to a heart condition and goes into car sales. Warm and likable, he's a natural salesman and a people person. He is also an incredible vehicle designer and engineer. Meanwhile, Ken Miles (Christian Bale) is a racer currently working as a mechanic and running his own shop to support his wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and son Peter (Noah Jupe). He tells it like it is and sometimes gets customers angry, but he doesn't sugarcoat anything. At a race, Ken is told his car does not meet regulations and begins angrily yelling at the race official - Carroll spots this and calms him down, but afterward, the two get into an argument, and Ken throws a wrench at him. Later, the IRS comes and shuts down Ken's garage, and he's forced to give up most of his racing in order to take care of his family.Meanwhile, at Ford Motors, Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) is furious that sales are down and that his father's company is in danger. He begins taking pitches from his underlings - Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) pitches him an idea - the sexiest cars are race cars, like Ferraris. He posits that if Ford can win the Le Mans, the 24-hour race, they will be at the top. In order to do that, they fly to Italy in order to offer the struggling Ferrari a deal - they will buy the company and let Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) maintain control of the racing division. Ferrari uses this offer to get Fiat to make a good offer, and they buy Ferrari. Ferrari tells the Ford businessmen to shove it and calls Henry a fat pig. When they get back, Henry makes them relay in detail what Ferrari said, and he becomes more determined than ever to beat Ferrari. He decides they will start their own racing division.Lee approaches Carroll, as the only American to ever win at Le Mans, if he would be the head of their racing team, designing and testing the cars. Carroll agrees - and goes to Ken, the best driver he knows, to take part. When Mollie sees Ken heading out with Carroll, she angrily demands to know the truth. He tells her that he's been offered great pay to race, and she's thrilled - she just doesn't want him to ever lie to her. The team begins getting the car into shape for their first big race, but as it approaches, Ford vice president Leo Bebee (Josh Lucas), approaches Carroll and tells them that Ken's rakish, unpredictable quality is not part of the Ford brand and he can't be trusted to do press and represent Ford well and that he can't be their driver. Carroll fights for Ken, but is eventually forced to tell Ken that he won't be racing - Ken is furious. When Ford loses the race, Carroll is able to convince Henry to allow him to rehire Ken. He goes to Ken's house and apologizes and asks him to come back, and the two end up getting into a physical fight on his front lawn. They finally give up, exhausted, and Mollie brings them some cold sodas.Ken rejoins the team, who are working day and night trying to perfect the car. Lee warns Carroll that Leo is determined to have Ken removed from the team, and intend on doing so on their next visit. Knowing this, when Henry and Leo arrive, Carroll locks Leo in his office and takes Henry out for a ride in the race car, and Henry experiences just how terrifying and exhilarating racing is. When they stop, he breaks down into sobs. Carroll offers him a deal - let Ken race at Daytona - if they win, he races at Le Mans in France. If they lose, Henry gets full control over Carroll's company. At Daytona, they find tough competition in a second Ford team that Ford had commissioned to see who engineered the best vehicle. Ken is able to win the race, securing their team the spot at Le Mans and ensuring Ken will drive there.In France, Le Mans approaches. Ferrari and Henry are both in attendance. When the race starts, Ken's door won't shut, slowing him down on the first lap. The car that they had designed was able to accelerate to really high speeds, but doing so burned out the brakes, so deep into the race, the pit crew changes out the brakes. The Italians at Ferrari are furious, saying this is a violation of the rules, but Carroll points out the rule-book says they are allowed to change parts, and it isn't specified which ones. Eventually, Ferrari's car spins out and crashes, leaving Ken in first place, and Mollie and Peter are able to watch on TV as Ken completes his much-desired "perfect" leg. Leo, who had been trying to bypass Carroll and mess with their strategy, goes to Henry and suggests that the best image for Ford would be to have all three of their cars cross the finish together. He agrees, and Leo gives Carroll the order, who refuses. Carroll tells Ken the instruction but tells him it's his race, and he will stand behind him no matter what. At first, Ken speeds to the victory, but he eventually relents and slows down, allowing the other drivers to catch up and cross the finish together. Everyone celebrates Ken's win until a technicality - he started behind another car - puts him into second, not first. Carroll is furious, but Ken accepts it, and the two go off together.Weeks later, while testing a new car design, the J-Car, Ken, who is not wearing safety gear while driving it, crashes and is killed. Carroll goes to his family's home and finds Peter, whom he gives the wrench that Ken threw at him. He gets into his car, and despite his condition, speeds off into the distance. The post-script tells us that Carroll's cars won the Le Mans four years and that Ken was inducted posthumously into the racing hall of fame.
Storyline
- Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. As Enzo Ferrari 's fast Rosso-Corsa racing cars dominate the mid-1960s motorsport world, the American car designer, Carroll Shelby , is forced to retire after winning the demanding 1959 '24 Hours of Le Mans' endurance race. But, before long, an unexpected proposition by the Vice President of Henry Ford 's motor company, Lee Iacocca , will offer an opportunity to beat the Italians at their own game. Now, under those pressing circumstances, the British sports car driver and racing engineer, Ken Miles , reluctantly agrees to lend a hand and improve the firm's image, as Ford's race team has less than ninety days to rewrite history. As a result, the non-conformist duo comes up with the mighty Ford GT40 Mk I high-performance racing car. Can Shelby and Miles break Ferrari's streak? — Nick Riganas American automotive designer Carroll Shelby and British race car driver Ken Miles compete in a fierce corporate battle as well as nature itself, to build a vehicle for the Ford automobiles. Together, they plan to compete against the race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. — Jwelch5742 Ford Company has a big problem in selling its cars in the 1960s. They decide to take part in 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race to show and advertise their cars. Ferrari's fast racing cars dominate the mid-60s racing world. Ford's advertisement team request Carrol Shelby to build fast cars for the race. Shelby asks British driver and racing engineer, Ken Miles to be the main driver for Ford's company in the race.
