Buckle up for a blockbuster—Michael Mann’s Ferrari looks, and sounds, epic

It’s 1957 and Enzo Ferrari is facing drama both on track and off. He’s still mourning the untimely death of his son Dino, his marriage to Laura is on the ropes, the company is close to bankruptcy, and Scuderia driver Eugenio Castellotti has just been killed during testing at Modena.

All hopes for the future lie on the treacherous Mille Miglia road race, and this is where director Michael Mann picks up the story in his upcoming biopic Ferrari.

Adam Driver plays Il Commendatore, with Penélope Cruz as Laura, but judging from the trailer that has just dropped it will be the cars that are the true stars.

If you’ve seen Mann’s Heat you’ll know just how skillfully he brings the audience into the action using immersive sound design and even the short trailer below demonstrates this. During the entire clip only 13 words are spoken by Driver, “If you get into one of my cars, you get in to win.” Instead the focus is on the roar of air intake and rasp of exhaust, the metallic click-clack of gearshifts and the squeal of rubber on asphalt.

You’ll have to wait until December 25 to see the full story unfold when Ferrari hits U.S. theaters.