PHOTO BY LORENZO SISTI / NEON

Someone, it seems, wasn’t convinced that Enzo Ferrari’s life made for an interesting movie.

So profound was this skepticism — perhaps on the part of screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin or director-producer Michael Mann, perhaps from one of the 11 other credited producers — that a mostly unrelated story is dropped into the middle of the film for added drama. The best stretches of “Ferrari” concern the 1957 Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile European road race which ended in unspeakable tragedy and the death of racer and playboy Alfonso de Portago.

The other parts of the movie just aren’t that interesting — even though they’re the theoretical subject of the film.

The bulk of the film follows Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), founder of the iconic car company, in a moment of personal and professional crisis. His wife, Laura (Penélope Cruz), has turned on him following the early death of their son. His mistress, Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley), wants Enzo to publicly acknowledge their love child. Meanwhile, the company is in financial ruin and may have to partner with a larger automaker to survive.

These circumstances are awkwardly tied into the Mille Miglia; as a subordinate helpfully explains to the audience, a dominant performance at the race could change the company’s fortunes. It is clear, however, that the forces at work in Ferrari’s life were much more complex than that; the race, and the tragedy, are merely present to turn a dry biography into a sports movie — and one with a shocking, gory crash sequence. It’s a Michael Mann movie, after all; did you think there wouldn’t be any violence?

Mann is given ample help by his cast, particularly Cruz, who is unwilling to let her character go down without a fight; her sparring matches with Driver are compelling, even if the lead actor opts for a somewhat uncinematic form of restraint as his defining characteristic. The cinematography, by Erik Messerschmidt, is quite good; the sound, all roaring engines and cheering crowds, is quite admirable.

But if the best things about a glossy biopic are the sound and the pictures of Italy, something has gone wrong.

There’s a good, if short, film about de Portago (Gabriel Leone) buried in “Ferrari.” He’s a more worthy subject, and it’s a shame his death has instead been used to prop up another person’s biopic.

My Rating: 5/10

“Ferrari” is now playing in cinemas.