A lengthy list of films perfect for any gear head to binge while stuck at home.
This year has been an interesting one thus far, and it's only mid-March. COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, is sweeping the nation and has people confined to their homes in attempts to stop it from spreading even more. This virus, which all started from a nice, healthy bowl of bat soup, has sent people into a widespread panic which has made toilet paper rather hard to come by. Not only that, this pandemic has sent entire cities into lockdown, cancelled events far and wide, left a sports void, left countless people without employment, and has shut down our favorite restaurants and bars until further notice. Since the world as we know it is in confinement for the next few weeks, we wanted to bring you a list of well-known and lesser-known car movies to help you pass the time.
Bullitt - 1968
Of course Bullitt the first movie on the list as it is arguably one of the best car movies of all time. Steve McQueen plays a hard San Francisco cop and goes on the hunt for an underworld kingpin that killed a witness in his protection. Who else can't resist the epic car chase involving the 1968 Bullitt Mustang and '68 Dodge Charger through the hilly streets of San Francisco?
Smokey And The Bandit - 1977
Most people have already seen this, but it is worth a rewatch every time. The movie revolves around two bootleggers, Burt Reynolds as The Bandit and Jerry Reed as Cledus "Snowman" Snow , as they make sure that a tractor trailer carrying Coors beer makes it from Atlanta to Texarkana and back in 28 hours or less. Of course, the sheriff is hot on his tail. Bandit drives the infamous black and gold 1977 Pontiac Trans Am.
Gone In 60 Seconds - 1974
The original Gone in 60 Seconds is about a a drug lord from South America that gives Pace a list of 48 cars to steal, but the elusive 'Eleanor', a 1971 Sportsroof that made to look like a 1973 Mustang, refuses to be reined. This movie also has a thrilling police chase that involves Eleanor and Pace across Southern California. While searching for the trailer on YouTube, it appears that the entire movie may be available there as well.
Gone In 60 Seconds - 2000
The remake of Gone in 60 Seconds is also an epic car movie with basically the story plot of the original. This one stars Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie as they steal cars to help save Memphis's (Cage) brother Kip from the hands of a crazy drug lord. In the remake, Eleanor is a Dupont Pepper Grey 1967 Ford 1973 mustang depicted as a Shelby GT500.
Ford v Ferrari - 2019
Ford v Ferrari is based on a true story that follows American car designer Carroll Shelby and his driver Ken Miles as they fight to build a race car that will take out Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. It's a story that has been told over and over again without getting old, but to watch the movie starring Matt Damon as Shelby and Christian Bale as Miles may just be a life-changing event. In fact, this movie just came out on Blu-Ray and DVD, and it is also available on Amazon Prime.
The Art Of Racing In The Rain - 2019
A movie about an aspiring Formula One race car driver named Denny and his Golden Retriever puppy named Enzo, after Ferrari of course. The two learn that the way to navigating life is much like the skills used on a racetrack. Here's your warning to keep a box of Kleenex handy. That is, if they haven't been scooped up in the great toilet paper shortage of 2020.
Le Mans - 1971
Filmed in the style of a documentary, this film is set in the '70s and revolves around one of the hardest endurance races - Le Mans in France. This movie also stars Steve McQueen so be prepared for an epic ride.
John Wick - 2014
This movie stars Keanu Reeves as John Wick, an ex-hit man that comes out of retirement to track down the men responsible for killing his dog and taking everything he owns. One of the cars that Reeves drives in the movie is a '69 Ford Mustang that is mentioned in the movie as being a Boss 429, but in reality it is a '69 Mach 1.
Grand Prix - 1966
Here is another older car movie worth a watch (or rewatch) that involves an American Grand Prix driver Pete Aron who is fired from his Jordan-BRM racing team after crashing at Monaco. The accident injured his British teammate, Scott Stoddard, who is struggling to recover. Aron then begins to drive for a Japanese Yamura team and ends up in a romantic relationship with Stoddard's estranged wife.
Christine - 1983
In this movie based off a novel written by Stephen King, a boy named Arnie buys a red 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine. The possessed car has an evil mind all its own and tries to seduce and alienate him as he restores Christine back to former glory.
Two Lane Blacktop - 1971
Two car fanatics, a driver and a mechanic, drive a '55 Chevy across the southwestern United States looking for other cars to race. The two, who only speak to each other when necessary, meet a man named G.T.O. at a gas station, a man who fabricates his story. They decide to drive to Washington D.C. to partake in a race where the winner will take home the losing man's car.
Rush - 1983
The movie Rush follows a relentless rivalry between two Formula One drivers in the 1970s, James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Days Of Thunder - 1990
Days of Thunder follows egotistical Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise) as a NASCAR driver as he faces lessons as being one of the best drivers, landing a sponsor, as well as being romantically involved. This action-packed movie has it all and stars Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid, and Robert Duval
On Any Sunday - 1971
This is a documentary that follows motorcycle racing and features stars of the sport. Even more, it features actor Steve McQueen.
American Graffiti - 1973
The movie American Graffiti follows two high school kids as they spend one final night cruising the strip with friends before college calls their names. This movie has plenty of eye candy when it comes to cars including a '32 Duece Coupe, '55 Chevy, '58 Impala, '56 Thunderbird, '61 Ford Galaxie cop car clone, and Pharoah's '51 Mercury.
Heart Like A Wheel - 1983
This movie follows Shirley Muldowney and her perseverance to be the first woman to be a top fuel drag racer. Even though she faces the burden it takes on her family and the high risk of being behind the wheel with this kind of racing, she is determined to continue to make her dream a reality.
Hollywood Knights - 1980
The Hollywood Knights are a car club in Beverly Hills, and Turk, their comedic leader, has them causing chaos on Halloween night in 1965.
Drive - 2011
In Drive, Ryan Gosling stars as a Hollywood stuntman and mechanic but also is a getaway driver that ends up in a heap of trouble after helping his neighbor. While Gosling drives plenty of great cars in the movie, he drove two stand out cars - a 1973 Chevrolet Malibu and a 2011 Mustang GT.
Vanishing Point - 1971
The movie Vanishing Point involves a Dodge Challenger driven by a former race car driver as he pilots it from Denver to San Francisco. The driver decides to make the trip in 15 hours with ample notice from law enforcement. Looking out for the driver is a blind DJ who monitors the cops.
Fast And The Furious Franchise - 2011 - present
Since there are plenty of Fast & The Furious movies to last quite awhile, we will just lump them together here. The original movie came out in 2001 and stars the late Paul Walker as cop Brian O'Connor who finds himself deep in the lifestyle of fast cars and street racing, among plenty of other trouble. Co-starring Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, the two form an unlikely friendship that lasts through the whole franchise. A countless number of cars throughout all movies, but one of the best has to be Vin Diesel's 1970 Dodge Charger.
Death Race - 2008
A warden of a well-known prison forces ex-con man Jensen Ames into a post-industrial car race. Inmates must assault, attack, and kill each other while trying to win.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby - 2006
This movie is a comedy featuring Will Farrell as Ricky Bobby and his teammate John C. Reilly as Cal Naughton, Jr. as NASCAR drivers full of hilarious shenanigans. Ricky Bobby loses his driving skills after an accident and fights to get back his life and driving career, but a French Formula One driver played by Sacha Baron Cohen enters the picture and becomes the one to beat.
The Wraith - 1986
A gang of drag racers murders a young man and harasses a small Arizona desert town for months. To take revenge, an unknown being in a ghostly black car, a Dodge M4S Turbo car, shows up and challenges them to race where he kills them one by one. The police and car gang cannot catch the mysterious being, but there may be something linked to the gang's past that could unveil everything.
Snake Vs. Mongoose - 2013
This movie follows the story of two drag racing friends and rivals from Southern California - Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen. In one of the most famous racing rivalries, this movie follows the tale between them along with corporate entities trying to change up sports completely.
The Love Bug - 1968
The Disney movie The Love Bug is about a Volkswagen Beetle called Herbie, his driver Jim Douglas, and Jim's love interest. The owner of an auto showroom and also an SCCA national champion, Peter Thorndyke, sells Herbie to Jim and soon enough they become racing rivals.
The Cannonball Run - 1981
This film is about a crazy and illegal cross-country road race with a wide array of unconventional personalities. Full of sneaky moves and dirty tricks, these entrants will do just about anything to win. This movie stars Burt Reynolds and Farrah Fawcett.
The Gumball Rally - 1976
Here is another movie involving an illegal cross-country road race with a group of different and eccentric personalities.
6 Underground - 2019
The opening scene to 6 Underground shows a 20-minute car chase scene that involves a lot of destroyed cars along with a few motorcycles. Ryan Reynolds stars in this movie that involves him being left for dead in Italy, so he works with his team to construct a gold heist against his former ally.
The Bourne Supremacy - 2004
Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon, moves far away with his girlfriend Marie so they can start a new life to escape emotional and physical pain that he once lived through. That plan failed as somebody fails to assassinate Bourne, so he comes back to the old life to find out why he is still being sought out. For the car enthusiast, there is plenty of car action in the Bourne movies.
Death Proof - 2007
The film Death Proof, directed and shot by Quentin Tarantino, is a horror film that follows Kurt Russell, a stuntman who murders young women and gets away with it by staging car accidents involving his "death proof" stunt car.
Baby Driver - 2017
Baby, a hearing impaired and young getaway driver for robberies, serves for a crime boss, Doc. Trying to get away from working for Doc as a getaway driver, he tries to plan a life with his girlfriend, Debora, but is lured back in for another job where is put in great danger thanks to a group of thugs.
Rendezvous - 1976
This short film features a Ferrari 275GTB, although the car is never seen as the camera appears to be mounted on the front bumper. The rumble of the V12 is heard loud and clear as it takes an 8-minute drive through Paris.
The French Connection - 1971
A duo of New York City cops that work in the Narcotics Bureau come across a drug smuggling job with a French connection. The car involved is a 1960 Buick Invicta, a car that was actually popular with drug smugglers in the early '60s due to the large front wheel wells.
Duel - 1971
In this movie directed by Steven Spielberg, a malicious driver of a tractor trailer pursues and terrorizes a business commuter.
Back To The Future - 1985
This is a well-known movie that isn't exactly a racing movie, but it does feature a time traveling DeLorean that launched the car into a cult following. Starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, who is sent thirty years into the past. His close friend, eccentric scientist Doc Brown helps him by inventing the DeLorean time machine.
Let's face it, highlighting every car movie would take an insane amount of time, but hopefully this is enough to will help you pass some down time and survive quarantine with the family.
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Steven Symes
Steven Symes
