In Lamborghini: The Man Behind The Legend, there’s nothing under the hood
Despite a sturdy performance by Frank Grillo, Bobby Moresco’s biopic of the luxury car designer is all smooth surfaces and no actual muscle
Film Reviews Legend
Usually, with a biopic, one immediately understands why a famous person’s life is worthy of a film. Either the person has held people’s imagination, or their story has become culturally significant. Sometimes a filmmaker finds an absorbing but lesser-known chapter in someone’s life that acts as a hook into a story. None of these things exist in Bobby Moresco’s Lamborghini: The Man Behind The Legend. We never understand why a movie about the Italian automobile designer and engineer was made. What part of his legacy or life inspired Moresco? This is anonymous filmmaking of the highest order—it could be about anyone. There’s no insight into Ferruccio Lamborghini or what made his pursuits special. It could also be directed by anyone—Moresco’s indistinct filmmaking is neither enthralling nor involving.
The film starts in the 1960s with middle-aged Lamborghini (played by Frank Grillo) engaged in a closed-circuit car race with Enzo Ferrari (Gabriel Byrne). Perhaps Moresco is setting up a rivalry between the two Italian automobile titans? But before we understand what’s going on, the film jumps back to the end of WWII, when a younger Lamborghini (played by Romano Reggiani) returned from battle to his father’s farm. He tries helping by building tractors, evidencing his interest in being a mechanic. A friendship and shared engineering passion develops with Matteo (Matteo Leoni), a fellow soldier. He falls in love with a beautiful woman, Celia (Hannah van der Westhuysen).
Bland as these early scenes are, they are not helped by the younger actors, who give leaden performances that make conversations about car engines and bank loans somehow sound even duller. Even when tragedy strikes, the film remains emotionally opaque. And then a stupid romantic rivalry is introduced to tell us that Lamborghini is—what? Selfish? Maniacally driven even at a cost to those closest to him? It’s unclear.
Things perk up a bit when Grillo takes over the part about halfway through. He brings charisma and a certain “je ne sais quoi” that makes him immensely watchable. Unfortunately, like the other actors, he’s stuck speaking English with an Italian accent, a misguided choice that makes most scenes laughable. Grillo doesn’t seem particularly invested in the accent, which comes and goes. So why not ditch it altogether? It’s not like the characters actually spoke English in their real lives.
The script never gives the audience any psychological insight into the characters. It just goes through Wikipedia highlights of Lamborghini’s life. During this section, Mira Sorvino appears as Annita, Lamborghini’s second wife. She’s saddled with a nothing part, forced to lurk on the sidelines and repeat what her husband says—either disbelievingly or disapprovingly. Well, until she unceremoniously disappears altogether.
Throughout all this, the film keeps cutting back to that opening race between Lamborghini and Ferrari. Yet no context is given—it’s never clear where this race takes place or why there’s no one but the two of them present. Is it a dream sequence? More egregiously, the rivalry that’s promised never materializes. Byrne appears in only three scenes, suggesting he might have signed on and then dropped out. Did the filmmakers not pay him so he quit after only filming a fraction of his scenes? These questions, which are completely outside of the story and the film, are what the audience is left contemplating. Nothing on screen makes sense—or is remotely as interesting as those possible answers.
Additionally, nothing is gleaned about what made Lamborghini’s cars so distinctive. The only insight comes from a title card in the closing credits. Shot in small rooms where only parts of a vehicle are shown, the scenes meant to explain their “legend” prove the most unremarkable, comprised of men huddling together and talking in the most general of terms. Races that look like they were shot on backroads are completely unconvincing and unexciting. Also unconvincing is the makeup when an injury happens. Everything is shoddy and unbelievable.
Fortunately, the film is only 97 minutes long. But even this grace note comes at a cost to the viewer. The end of the story comes out of nowhere, as if the filmmakers ran out of money and stopped shooting before they were really done. A peculiar film; Lamborghini: The Man Behind The Legend never gives the audience a reason for its existence.
18 Comments
There’s not supposed to be anything under the hood of a Lambo. That’s where the trunk is. The engine’s in the back. Terrible review.
So there is no mention of the insult that started Lambo’s passion to beat Ferrari? For those who don’t know, supposedly Lambo asked Enzo to put a lighter clutch in his Ferrari, and Enzo basically told him F-off and stick to tractors and leave the sports cars to him. Hence the rivalry.
It was mentioned in another article here and the clip from the movie was shown. More or less he meets up with Enzo, I think after church, mentioned how he has 7 Ferraris, one for every day of the week, Enzo comes back they should have more days of the week. Then Lamborghini goes on to say you know what they all have one thing in common, a bad clutch, Enzo blows him off, and history was made. And not the first time Enzo pissed someone off, only to eat his words later, after all Enzo is why Ford built the GT out of spite lol.
That scene is in the trailer.
Isn’t that conversation supposed to be an urban legend?
First warning sign: that the subtitle is literally “The Man Behind the Legend.”
So much a legend that I’d never seen or heard his first name. Even someone largely ignorant of car culture like me knows who Enzo is.
Well, Ferrari has a longer history than Lamborghini, and Enzo had a place in racing history. So there was more time for his name to percolate out into mainstream consciousness. Plus, Ferrari did name a car ‘Enzo’, while ‘Ferrucio’ is a little more unwieldy to apply to an automobile.
Until today, I would have believed you if you told me there existed a car called ‘Ferrucio’.
Lambo: First Blood was right there, too. It’s like they aren’t even trying.
The Silence of the Lambos.‘I ate his Testarossa with fava beans and nice Murcielago’
Ferraris won races. Lamborghinis were and are beautiful toys for rich people. I say this having had a Countach poster on my wall in the 80s. But I also read Road & Track, and as disappointing as it was, I had to acknowledge the truth that the numbers revealed.
Which one do you think has a really compelling story? It’s already hard enough to make a good film about cars.
I just learned yesterday that this movie exists, but the trailer was at most meh. Did they even get assistance from the Lamborghini family and company during production? Why are half the scenes with cars only showing the overrated fugly Countach?Thanks for the review. Not watching.
Overrated? Not in today’s climate. That overrated car, you so elegantly put it, has kept appreciating in value. I’d HIGHLY doubt you’d turn one way given the change to own one. When these were once $50,000-$75,000 no one wanted them. Now that they are approaching $1,000,000 for certain examples, they are highly sought after. I’ll take mine in Blue Tahiti on a ’82 downdraft carb low body with both wings (front and back).
I look at your screen name and the Ford GT is a better car than the Lamborghini Countach, which was mostly famous during an era when there was nothing else like it. But in retrospect, good intentions but still kinda fugly.
I believe this is a dream of many people
No offense, but if anyone is actually looking for some Oscar worthy performances, your barking up the wrong tree. This movie is about the cars, plain and simple. It’s why you would go to it. To hear the sounds of the V12s on the big screen. It’s why my local car group (older people who own these types of cars) are all excited to see it. We don’t care about the acting. We want to see the cars and what they say about them (we all know about the rivalry and what spured Ferruccio to build his first car). I for one can’t wait to see it.
So why not ditch it altogether? It’s not like the characters actually spoke English in their real lives.I mean, because that’s a standard trope of American filmmaking (and probably in other countries, too)? Like, I can understand not liking that trope, but it’s odd to suggest that this movie, of all movies, should buck the trend.