Ford v Ferrari [IMAX]

This was a real crowd-pleaser of a dad/bro-movie. It was a great racing film that straddled both box-office appeal and critical adulation. James Mangold's direction was excellent and the editing was tremendous, as was the sound design and editing (a contender for Oscar nominations for all three fields). All that together, resulted in adrenaline-pumping, nail-bitingly exciting racing scenes that was superb in an IMAX theatre. However, none of that would have mattered if not for the film's fantastic leading men. Both Matt Damon and Christian Bale exuded undeniable charisma and anchored the film with their naturalistic, lived-in performance. Their easy, bromantic chemistry was palpable and authentic, and that was key to maintaining the audience's attention throughout the entire 152 minutes. Although, at times, the film did feel long but that feeling usually dissipated once the car-scenes kicked in. However, the real breakout star of the film was the natural - and naturally sizzling - chemistry between the Walsh Bale and his on-screen wife, the lovely, Irish Caitriona Balfe. They both should do a film together. And, mark my words, Noah Jupe will be the next Tom Holland.

Mangold scored a critically acclaimed film with his last film, Logan, and he continued his streak with Ford v Ferrari. He smartly cemented the story on the two men, rather than the titular two companies, and, with his writers, found the emotional resonance of their characters. Bale had the more emotionally-complex arc whereas Damon's character, having not much of a backstory or actors other than Bale to act off, had the less emotionally-charged role even though he seemed more like the lead actor to Bale's lead/supporting (both actors will be entering the Lead Actors race, though I'd bet Bale might get the nod more than Damon).

The driving scenes and the races were the secondary stars of the film, and absolute kudos to Mangold and his creative team. The editing, sound design and sound editing were fabulous. The IMAX really helped in this regard too. They were exciting to say the least.

Bale, in a rare, non-American and non-physically transformative role - other than a constant hunch - was great to watch as we see his character grow and evolve and even mature a little bit. His scenes with Balfe were an unexpected highlight. These two actors should star in a WWII romantic epic.

Damon, with less to do, actually succeeded in his convincing, all-American hero depiction of Carroll Shelby as he played off mostly Bale and Tracey Letts (hilarious!) and Josh Lucas (a convincing and conniving villain).

Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders scored the film beautifully, alternating between jazzy/bluesy notes for the quieter more emotional-heavy scenes, and exhilarating bass/strings-heavy sets for the action sequences.

Phedon Papamichael was the cinematographer, and he got some great shots especially of the racing and the night scenes.

This was a highly enjoyable and entertaining film, with great acting, good laughs, exciting races/drive sequences and a good story. One of the best racing film since Ron Howard's 2013 Rush with Chris Hemswoth and Daniel Bruhl. Definitely worth it to catch on the big screen and the IMAX, and a sure contender for below-the-line oscars; Bale and Damon are also in the contention for Best Actor, whereas Best Film and Director nods may be a bit harder to get.