Ferrari

Admiring the car more than the man, Ferrari is a nostalgic adrenaline rush for devotees of the iconic brand.

This stylish biopic from acclaimed director Michael Mann offers a compelling glimpse into the rise of the European racing industry through one of its most colorful and controversial impresarios.

The story is set during the summer of 1957, a decade removed from the launching of his namesake auto manufacturer by Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) and his outspoken wife, Laura (Penelope Cruz), in northern Italy.

He’s more at home on the road than in his house, where his steering is less precise and his personal life is riddled with potholes.

We find Ferrari at a crossroads, with the company on the verge of bankruptcy and his marriage on the rocks due to an ongoing affair with a younger woman (Shailene Woodley) with whom he has a preteen son, Piero (Giuseppe Festinese). That relationship serves as a coping mechanism for a past tragedy, but it’s of little consolation for Laura.

Professionally, Ferrari is a visionary designer but also a shrewd negotiator and calculating entrepreneur. Perhaps his only hope of saving the company is proving his superiority over his manufacturing rivals with a sleek new design in the daunting 1,000-mile Mille Miglia.

He’s fueled by speed competition, and of course, the financial rewards that come with winning at all costs, despite the inherent dangers. As he explains to his team: “It’s our deadly passion, our terrible joy.”

The nonlinear screenplay by the late Troy Kennedy Martin (The Italian Job) indulges in some melodramatic embellishments but gets revved up thanks in part to Mann’s meticulous period authenticity. In particular, the thrilling race sequences through narrow and winding roads in the Alps depict both triumph and shocking tragedy.

A boorish and flamboyant womanizer with slicked-back hair and shades, Ferrari feels almost like a caricature on the surface. Eventually, we learn there’s more to a man whose complex inner machinery matches that of his vaunted sports cars.

An early sequence reveals his cold and unsympathetic nature as he watches a driver on a test track endure a horrific crash and wonders most about how it will affect his bottom line.

Driver infuses Ferrari with emotional depth and a moral compass that isn’t always pointing north. Nevertheless, he ensures that the vintage four-wheeled characters don’t steal the show.

Rated R, 130 minutes.