The last film that rated US director Michael Mann helmed was 2015’s Black Hat, which failed to impress.

Eight years later, he brought us Ferrari last year, which features the life of famed Italian sports car manufacturer, Enzo Ferrari.

Having won an impressive four grand Prix’s for Alfa Romeo, racing driver Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) decides to turn his attention to making cars as opposed to racing them. With his knowledge and knowhow, he produces some very desirable racing cars. Unfortunately for him, his business is struggling on the commercial side, not being able to ramp up production.

He’s told the only way to increase production and demand is to win races, putting his name in the spotlight.

So he decides to enter five cars into the Mille Miglia endurance race on Italian roads and streets, lasting one thousand miles.

He finds his focus on the job at hand distracted however, by his personal life that is in quite a complicated state, that doesn’t please his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz).

Mann has directed some undeniably impressive features, including 1992’s The Last of the Mohicans (for which he won his only Oscar to date) , 1995’s Heat and 2004’s Collateral. But in recent years, he’s struggled to capture that early creativity, as Black Hat and 2006’s Miami Vice firmly illustrate. And you can add this one to that list too.

With the film set and shot in Modena, where Ferrari was born, you expect a level of authenticity from Mann. But what you get is three Americans (Driver, Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey) playing Italians, and a Spaniard playing his wife. OK, you can forgive Driver if Mann had his heart set on him, and to be fair, he is very good, but there were no actual Italian actors available to play Italian parts?

This is made even more prominent with Cruz’s involvement; yes she’s Spanish, but she’s the only one who taps into that fiery nature that Italians are known for, making her performance probably the best there is.

Mann doesn’t help himself by having the majority of the film run at a snail’s pace. It is so incredibly slow, again lacking any real passion or energy.

It’s only saving grace is the race itself, which involves a spectacular crash, but other than that, Mann’s film struggles to get out of second gear.

The American director is 81, so it’s fair to say his best work is very much in his rear-view mirror, and that perhaps it’s time to get out of the driving seat and give someone else a go.