Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” was seen as a commercial failure, making just over $42 million worldwide on a reported budget of $100 million, and critics weren’t totally onboard either as it earned no major awards recognition.
With that said, Mann believes the film will stand the test of time. In an interview with the L.A. Times, the filmmaker says he has no regrets about making “Ferrari” and that he’s proud of the film.
“I’m confident in the film’s long-term relevance,” Mann says. “I believe it’s a good film. I think Adam’s work is great. Penélope’s work is great. Shailene. The writing by Troy [Kennedy Martin] is quite terrific. No doubt about that.”
Many of Mann’s past films have managed to be reappraised and find major followings. It’s almost become part of his trademark, for films such as “Manhunter,” “Miami Vice,” and “Blackhat” to originally receive mixed reviews only to then go on and find reassessment, including in scholarly film journals.
A reassessment is already happening with “Ferrari.” Denis Villeneuve recently came out and called it a “masterwork.” Guillermo del Toro is also a major fan. There are also numerous think-pieces citing it as one of Mann’s best films.
It pained me to see “Ferrari” doing so poorly at the box-office, but it was to be expected. The film was not at all meant for mainstream tastes, and rather played more like a slow burn. In other words, it wasn’t at all like the commercially pleasant entertainment of “Ford v Ferrari.”
Mann’s film flirted with greatness— I liked “Ferrari” quite a bit. The performances, the framing, the staging and the atmosphere were wonderfully realized. Driver’s performance as Enzo Ferrari was up there with his very best work. Penelope Cruz deserved an Oscar nomination for her volcanic performance as Laura Ferrari. Also, the racing scenes were some of the best that I’d ever seen.
All of this doesn’t really matter to Mann because he finally made his life-long passion project — he’s been working on “Ferrari” for three decades — and is soon to direct ‘Heat 2,’ which could become one of the very rare commercial successes of his career.