Starring: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe Director: James Mangold

THE characters can seldom compete with the cars in auto racing movies, but that’s not the case with “Ford v Ferrari,” a full-bodied and exciting true-life story in which the men behind the wheels are just as dynamic as the machines they drive. Fronted by fine lead performances by Christian Bale and Matt Damon as, respectively, racing legends Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby, this is a well-built vehicle in every respect that should make a good run through theaters and have a substantial home-viewing afterlife.

This is a racing saga with strong dramatic and historical underpinnings. In the world of international racing heading into the 1960s, nobody could touch Ferrari, the ne plus ultra of fast carmakers. During a company downturn, Henry Ford II and his lieutenant Lee Iacocca, who played a big role in introducing the Mustang and Ford Pinto, got it into their heads to produce a race car that could displace the Italians, which seemed like a joke at the time. But they made it happen.

Applying solid craftsmanship of their own, screenwriters Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller have hammered together a solid three-act structure that invites quick viewer investment in some hard-nosed but likable people, provides combative character dynamics among very competitive drivers and executives and gives the central figure, Miles, welcome full treatment when it comes to his racing smarts, ambitions and family life.

With director James Mangold showing a sure hand throughout, some amusing early scenes contrast the corporate culture at Ferrari and Ford. Dedicated to quality, prestige and class, Enzo Ferrari presides over his empire like a cross between a medieval lord and a mafia boss and looks down on Ford as a prince would a peasant.

However, Ford can sometimes surprise with his edicts, and he instructs his ruthless protégé Lee Iacocca to do whatever is necessary to give the company a winner. The interlude of corporate interplay in which the Ford team travels to Italy to propose a merger bursts with humorous absurdity, as the presumption that these two cultures could ever co-exist under one roof is shown for what it is.

Appealingly, the men who might be able to give life to Ford’s dream are quickly drawn with both virtues and flaws plain for the eye to see. After a successful racing career of his own, Shelby embarked on a variety of automotive projects but signed onto Ford’s project of creating a hot car that could win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The film’s lively dynamics owe much to the bristly nature of nearly every relationship and interaction in the film. Miles is an unpredictable live wire with everyone except his wife and son; Shelby always seems to be juggling more balls than can reasonably be kept aloft at any given moment; the demanding Ford and Iacocca keep everyone off-balance and on their toes; and the looming deadlines and danger inherent in the profession itself provide a constant sense of unease over both professional and personal mortality. An excellent interlude in which Miles does test runs on the tarmac at LAX provides insights into what goes into a driver’s relationship with his car.

The movie is now being screened in Shenzhen.

(SD-Agencies)