After World War II, the young Ferruccio Lamborghini (Romano Reggiani) returns home. His mother (Francesca De Martini) and father (Fortunato Cerlino) are farmers, but the young man has no desire to till the land himself. From childhood, Ferruccio has been interested in various technical devices and iron mechanisms. The young man confidently tells his father that he wants to move to the city and design sports cars. The talented inventor will not reach his cherished goal immediately, but he will quickly assemble the best tractors in the country. And already at the age of 40, Ferruccio (Frank Grillo) will realize his dream, design a beautiful sports car and compete with Ferrari. However, Lamborghini has no happiness in his personal life.
Romano Reggiani as Ferruccio Lamborghini in a still from the movie “Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend”
The Story Behind the Film
Several years ago, the biopic of the famous Italian engineer and businessman was to be directed by Michael Radford, with Antonio Banderas in the lead role. Enzo Ferrari, whom Lamborghini initially looked up to and later competed with, could have been played by Alec Baldwin. All the big names left the project. It is rumored that the original script included Ferruccio’s childhood and a more detailed portrait of the post-war era. After all, it was a difficult but interesting time - Europe in ruins opened up great opportunities for talented and enterprising people.
In the end, Bobby Moresco, the Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay for “Crash” and one of the producers of Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby,” acted as director and screenwriter. The title character in “Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend” is played by Frank Grillo, who previously did not stand out for his notable dramatic roles and starred mainly in mediocre action films (“War Pigs,” “Devil’s in the Details,” and “Reprisal”). And the role of Ferrari eventually went to Gabriel Byrne. With the departure of Radford and Banderas from the project, interest in the biopic waned, and it was difficult to expect a masterpiece.
Frank Grillo as Ferruccio Lamborghini in a still from the movie “Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend”
A Glimpse into Lamborghini’s Life
“Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend” paints a picture of a successful man who put work above his personal life. The script is based on the memoirs of Ferruccio’s son, who did not have a good relationship with his father. Perhaps that is why the Italian creator of sports cars appears as an unpleasant person. After the death of his first wife (Hannah van der Westhuysen) in childbirth, Lamborghini ceases to hope for happiness in his personal life and marries Annita (Mira Sorvino) for incomprehensible reasons. In the film, the couple only quarrels, pays no attention to Ferruccio’s son, and tries to solve any issues with money.
Frank Grillo as Ferruccio Lamborghini in a still from the movie “Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend”
The Enigma of Success
Strangely enough, Lamborghini in his work resembles Steve Jobs from Danny Boyle’s biopic: difficult relationships with subordinates, risky ideas, and eccentric actions. In any difficult situation, Ferruccio gives a pompous speech about temporary difficulties and inevitable imminent triumph. Today, the Italian car designer could easily become a popular business coach, recalling at every opportunity that he managed to achieve success without outside help. However, Moresco does not really give an answer as to what Lamborghini’s secret is. It seems to be a combination of luck and an insatiable desire to catch up with and overtake Enzo Ferrari. Once, the boss of the sports car company refused Ferruccio to cooperate, after which Ferrari and Lamborghini appear on the screen from time to time behind the wheels of fast cars throughout the film. Two competitors participate in a night race and look mysteriously at each other.
A Story of Ambition and Rivalry
The authors of the film build the entire plot on the confrontation between Ferruccio, first with his father, who does not believe in his son’s future success, and then with the boss of a competing company. This is a non-standard solution for a biopic: viewers do not really learn anything about the main character, seeing only Lamborghini’s determination. There is no intrigue in the film a priori - the audience initially knows that the engineer will create a legendary sports car and a brand that is now firmly associated with a luxurious lifestyle.
You quickly get tired of free courses in personal growth training from Lamborghini, Frank Grillo tries, but shows dramatic abilities only in scenes of fierce quarrels with his wife. All that remains are beautiful cars and the opportunity for the viewer to dream of something more. If not to assemble a fast and stylish sports car, then at least to realize childhood talents. Otherwise, “Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend” confidently fits into a series of monotonous biopics that kill the genre and do not try to get around the dozens of clichés of films about the rich and famous.