The Matt Damon and Christian Bale sports drama zooming up the Netflix charts

In a world where Hollywood collaborations often feel as elusive as a Ford GT40 roaring down the straightaway, the pairing of Matt Damon and Christian Bale felt tremendously befitting but never materialised till 2019. The film, currently storming the Netflix top ten films chart globally, brought these two heavyweights together after a series of near misses and almost swaps in roles.

Ford v Ferrari has raced its way to the upper echelons of Netflix’s top ten lists globally. With 8.3million hours viewed, it has found its way to the top ten charts in over 50 countries, including Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Directed by James Mangold, the man behind critically acclaimed hits like Walk the Line and Logan, and with a screenplay by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller, Ford v Ferrari is an adrenaline-pumping human drama with its fascinating tale based on a true story.

The film follows the intense rivalry between the American automotive giant Ford and the reigning champions of Le Mans, Ferrari, during the 1960s. Caught in the middle of this corporate clash are the visionary automotive designer Carroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon, and the fearless British racing driver Ken Miles, portrayed by Christian Bale.

But what makes Ford v Ferrari more than just your average sports drama isn’t the roaring engines and squealing tyres. It’s the dynamic chemistry between Damon and Bale as they navigate the high-stakes world of competitive racing, their characters bouncing off each other with the precision of a perfectly tuned engine.

Interestingly, this collaboration came into being after many didn’t. Damon, reflecting on missed opportunities, revealed to British GQ how he initially passed on the role that eventually earned Bale an Oscar in The Fighter. Damon had good reason to pass on the script, “I read the script because I thought it was fascinating, but the script was not very good.” 

There had to be a complete rehaul. “We all knew the script wasn’t there. Then David [O Russell] came in, rewrote the script, got Christian, and it was awesome,” Damon noted, praising his Ford v Ferrari co-star.

Ford v Ferrari had its theatrical release in 2019. At the 92nd Academy Awards, the film received four nominations, including Best Picture. Eventually, it won for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing.

You can watch Ford v Ferrari on Netflix and catch the trailer here: