"Full acceleration" - the great battle between "Ford" and "Ferrari"

"Full acceleration" - the great battle between "Ford" and "Ferrari"

With wonderful actors and adherence to the truth, you can easily screen a true and beautiful story

Films telling a true story, recreating a moment from the past, are always more special. Critics always look at them more carefully, and when it comes to a movie recreating a sports moment, the risk of not liking the fans is really huge. Well, James Mangold took a huge risk with his creation "Ford vs Ferrari", translated into Bulgarian "Full Acceleration", which recreates the battle in the 1960s between two automotive giants, transferred to the 24-hour endurance race on the track in France city of Le Mans.

The actors in the main roles have a huge role in the success of the film. It's Christian Bale and Matt Damon who seem to bring extra horsepower to Full Throttle. In short, this work of cinema tells, in an excitingly streamlined way at times, a story about the quest for dominance in the Motor City. A story that makes you side with the good guys fulfilling their dream of being the best drivers and driving the fastest racing car while their bosses fight at a much higher level.

Matt Damon stars as Carroll Shelby, a former champion but forced into retirement due to hypertension. His opening voice-over about what it's like to hit 7,000 rpm in final drive in a car sets the tone for the film, and we're all left waiting for the moment Ken Miles, played by Bale, reaches those heights. Shelby was hired by Ford to mentor Miles and the other drivers and help the company build a really fast car that could keep up with the Ferraris.

But why do Ford want to beat Ferrari so fiercely? The whole incident revolves around Henry Ford II's attempt to buy the Italian company on the idea of the young executive Lee Iacocca. Ford is played by Trey Letts and Iacocca is played by Jon Bernthal. Enzo Ferrari, however, not only refuses his huge sum of money, but also insults Henry, which hurts his pride and challenges him to produce a car that can handle the Italians at Le Mans. And the 24-hour endurance race has never been won by an American car before.

You don't even need to be a motorsports fan or a car guy to appreciate the conventional drama that comes to life in Full Throttle. On one side are Shelby and Miles, who are real weirdos, but one gives viewers an idea more than the other. They have been tasked by Ford to build an entire racing team to be better than Enzo's Ferrari. On the other side are the far less charismatic bosses – Ford and his right-hand man Leo Beebe. Bibi is not just an aspiring con man, he is also a stickler for corporate principle, believing it to be the right thing to do. He doesn't want Miles to be one of the drivers of the new car because he doesn't fit the image of a man that Ford wants to create as a company. Beebe's persistent attempts to screw Miles reinforce the rooted interest aspect of the film written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller.

Supporting characters also manage to trigger additional approval. Caitriona Balfe, who plays Miles' wife, is not in the usual disapprovingly disturbing light. Noah Jupp, who is the pilot's son, idolizes his father unconditionally, and Ray McKinnon, who is Shelby's most trusted engineer lieutenant, is more than just a character.

Damon perfectly fits the character of his character - an honorable man who strays from the path, but subsequently gets back on it.

And if all of that sounded heavy to you, don't worry, because Full Throttle is a fun movie. Even funnier than its well-assembled trailer suggests. The dialogues, the recreation of the races and the adherence to the truth give really high speeds. And too few shots seem cluttered with effects or animated.

In short, this film is a true spectacle that 30 or 40 years ago would have been a studio staple. Now it's taken as a risk and it's basic, but great direction and two incredible actors make Full Throttle not a weak point.