Buckle up: "Ferrari" is off to the races

Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz control the story arc

The current bumper crop of biopics yields a new winner: Michael Mann’s dazzling “Ferrari.” Based on the book by Brock Yates, “Enzo Ferrari: The Man and The Machine,” the movie showcases two Hollywood headliners who consistently bring their whole selves to every role they play: Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz.

After watching the trailer, I was a bit worried “Ferrari” would contain too many horrific crash scenes that would freak me out. There were exactly three. The first one takes place on a racetrack with few onlookers. Unfortunate, of course. The second ones occur along the Mille Miglia route; one is partially shown in the trailer. Tragic, given how many villagers were directly affected.

Knowing nothing about Italy’s 1000-mile open road race before seeing this film, I learned the grueling competition began in 1927. It ended in 1957, after the two crashes shown in “Ferrari” during that year’s deadly high-speed race from Brescia to Rome and back again.

Indeed, Ferrari himself knew tragedy long before 1957’s spectacular wreck in the village of Guidizzolo. His son Dino died in 1956 of probable Duchenne muscular dystrophy; the exact cause of his sickly son’s illness remains a mystery. But Dino was the only child of Enzo and Laura, played with such scorched earthiness by Cruz. And though both parents were heartbroken when they lost their son, each seems to have handled their grief in very different ways.

For one thing, Enzo had a second family. The tension between Enzo and Laura vs. Enzo and Lina (Shailene Woodley) is the real substance of “Ferrari,” at least for me.

Complicating matters for his grieving wife was Laura’s discovery that Enzo also had another son, Piero. Of course, in those days, Piero was thought of as an “illegitimate child.” Today he not only carries his father’s surname, but Piero is also a billionaire since the family business went public in 2014.

For viewers wanting a deeper dive into Ferrari’s entire life story, Yates’s book offers a logical starting point. As well, Daryl Goodrich’s 2017 documentary “Ferrari: Race to Immortality” examines the relationships among several of Ferrari’s race car drivers, notably a pair of British sportsmen. In a field where the risk of death figured so prominently, the bonds of friendship forged by such intense competition and remarkable exertion surely engineered lifelong connection.

If you’re looking for an action movie this holiday season, 2023’s “Ferrari” will be hard to beat. The Commendatore’s legacy is secure, and audience’s perennial taste for a thrilling drama will drive box office from this year straight into next. Buckle up: “Ferrari” is off to the races!