Screening as part of the Mill Valley Film Festival‘s Closing Night, director James Mangold‘s latest film, “Ford v Ferrari,” made its Western United States premiere to a packed crowd. Mangold is driven by instinct, his affinity for a given project fueled by the depth of the characters that inhabit its world. “Ford v Ferrari” sees Mangold in top form behind the wheel. As a director, he’s built for endurance, not unlike the revolutionary Ford GT40 that Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) build to beat the Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in his film.
Shelby, Miles, Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts), Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone), Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal). These are the types of unique, layered characters to whom Mangold is drawn. In fact, Mangold isn’t particularly a fan of racing. “The marketing in the movie pushes the racing aspect pretty hard,” the director said. “But the reality is that it’s also a pretty beefy drama.”
Mangold describes his biopic as a reverse “Saving Private Ryan” in that the action is saved for the third act. Recreating the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a monumental undertaking for Mangold. “There’s all these famous landmarks in the race,” Mangold said about building the set for the Le Mans. “And you’ll see or feel them all. What was amazing is that none of these locations were at the same place as another.”
Mangold’s greatest accomplishment to date is arguably his 2018 film, “Logan,” which redefined the superhero film genre, earned him an Oscar nomination, and paved the way for the gritty, R-rated superhero films we’re seeing today, such as “Joker.” And though Fox and Disney are now one big company and the future of the ‘X-Men‘ franchise is in flux, Mangold says he still has a desire to shoot his “Logan” sequel, focused on the young X-23, though he “doubts” it will happen anytime soon.
“Ford v Ferrari” opens theatrically on November 15. Watch the full interview below.