These movie feature cars that stole the show. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those fast flicks we watch when we feel the need…the need for speed!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those fast flicks we watch
00:09when we feel the need, the need for speed.
00:18Number 20.
00:19The Cannonball Run
00:29Al Needham was probably the most reliable hand when it came to cinema that focused upon
00:33amazing stunts.
00:34The Cannonball Run is a prime example, combining zany and madcap comedy with a simple direct
00:38premise—win the race.
00:40Needham was a frequent collaborator with Burt Reynolds, who stars here alongside a bevy
00:44of famous faces.
00:45The characters all have their own motivations alongside their unique cars, from an Aston
00:49Martin DB5 and a Ferrari 308 GTS to a souped-up Dodge tradesman ambulance.
01:03The broad jokes and comedy largely still hit today, and the Cannonball Run feels like the
01:07sort of project that was a lot of fun to create, with that lighthearted sensibility translating
01:11over to the screen.
01:22Number 19.
01:23Repo Man
01:241984's Repo Man exists in an ultra-cool crosshair of sorts.
01:34It's a cult film, sure, but also a flick that car enthusiasts are bound to enjoy.
01:38This is due primarily to all of the vintage automobiles on display from both the 1970s
01:42and 80s.
01:43Repo Man is a spot-on satire of Reaganomics and consumerism, but never lets its message
01:47interfere with the craziness on-screen.
01:49Emilio Estevez's auto winds up in pursuit of a Chevy Malibu with some strange, glowing
02:04cargo and the whole film eventually turns on its head with a wild twist.
02:08The combination of Repo Man's unique visual style, quirky performances, and heavy punk
02:11rock soundtrack makes this film truly stand out from the crowd.
02:26Number 18.
02:27Tulane Blacktop
02:28Monty Hellman was an outsider filmmaker that made outsider films.
02:37He traversed his own path in the 1970s with a number of road movies featuring compelling
02:41and mysterious characters.
02:42Cockfighter from 1974 is notable, but it was Tulane Blacktop from three years prior
02:47that helped cement Hellman as a legend.
02:58This is a film that fetishizes the freedom and occasional obsession of car culture to
03:01the point where it becomes a character unto itself.
03:04Tulane Blacktop was also notable for its casting of James Taylor and The Beach Boys'
03:07Dennis Wilson alongside veteran actor Warren Oates.
03:11This is a minimalist piece that prefers to show and hide rather than tell, and it's
03:14all the more engaging to this end.
03:32Number 17.
03:33Death Race 2000
03:47One needs to be in a proper state of mind in order to appreciate the glory that is Death
03:50Race 2000.
03:52This Roger Corman production was just one of the man's enviable list of exploitation
03:55features that garnered a cult following over the years.
03:58It's a cartoonish and satirical affair set in a post-apocalyptic world where a deadly
04:02road race mollifies a society under totalitarian rule.
04:12Contestants outfit their funny cars with all sorts of murderous weaponry, designed not
04:15only to take out the other drivers, but also pedestrians along the way.
04:19Death Race 2000 even features a scene where hospital patients are reeled out in a row,
04:23like so many ducks, to meet their demise.
04:25The end results are silly and tons of fun.
04:40Number 16.
04:41Christine
04:42There's only a single car that's the star of 1983's Christine, but what a car.
04:51As in the classic Stephen King tale that is its source, this 1958 Plymouth fury is
04:56both possessed and possessive.
05:09Director John Carpenter adapts this story with his usual stylistic flair and quick wit,
05:13while making horror history in the process.
05:15Christine boasts a wonderful cast, including Keith Gordon and Alexandra Paul, but it's
05:19the fury that ultimately ended up entering the pop culture zeitgeist.
05:22Carpenter's direction and usage of music does a great job at lending Christine real
05:26personality, a possessive and vindictive girlfriend who won't let anything get between her and
05:31her owner.
05:55Number 15.
06:03Drive
06:10This dark thriller about a mysterious Hollywood stunt driver-slash-getaway driver scored big
06:14at its 2011 Cannes Film Festival screening.
06:16Standing out thanks to its stylish direction, captivating imagery, ethereal music, and performances
06:21by Ryan Gosling and Albert Brooks, it has also been called a tribute to the genre of
06:25While Drive has a lot going for it on its own, the car-centric plot, fantastically staged
06:30chase scenes, and the combination of a 5-liter Mustang and a Chrysler 300 in the same sequence
06:35is enough to get most car buffs drooling.
06:50Number 14.
06:51Le Mans
07:03This film depicts the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race, the world's oldest endurance
07:08race.
07:09Although a dud at the box office, the Steve McQueen film has since gained a cult following
07:12mainly for its authenticity.
07:14And in fact, the film gained this authenticity by using the actual Le Mans circuit and actual
07:19footage of a real race shot from a car actually in the race, with appearances from actual
07:38drivers and actual racing cars.
07:40Much of the race footage was shot from a Ford GT40 and features a Porsche 917, as well as
07:45a gorgeous Ferrari 512 in all their glory.
07:51It doesn't hurt that McQueen himself was a racing aficionado who was determined to
07:59capture the most accurate racing footage possible, which he most definitely did.
08:03Number 13.
08:04Smokey and the Bandit
08:15The team of Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds largely proved themselves to be bulletproof
08:18over the years.
08:19A lot of this goodwill can be traced back to this massive hit from 1977, Smokey and
08:24the Bandit.
08:25This deftly executed and supremely fun flick basically set the template for a lot of good
08:28ol' boy comedies that would arise in its wake.
08:38A rascally protagonist transporting bootlegging liquor across state lines?
08:42Check.
08:43A German law enforcement agent hot on his tail?
08:45Double check.
08:46Smokey and the Bandit is honestly worth it for the car crashes and chases alone, but
08:50the banter between Reynolds and co-stars Jackie Gleason and Jerry Reid makes this one priceless.
09:11Number 12.
09:12Death Proof
09:28No definitive list of car flicks can be complete without Quentin Tarantino's homage to the
09:32exploitation muscle car films popular in the 1970s.
09:35Combining action, horror, comedy, and revenge in a way only Tarantino could, the film stars
09:40Kurt Russell as a psychopathic stuntman who murders young women through car accidents
09:44using a car that he believes is deathproof.
09:52Although not one of Tarantino's biggest hits, the flick still lands on our list as a worthy
09:55tribute to the golden age of car cinema due to its breathtaking car sequences, jaw-dropping
10:00crashes, and an appearance by a beautiful 1970 Dodge Challenger.
10:07Number 11.
10:09The French Connection
10:16The 1970s was a halcyon decade for gritty police procedurals, a genre that was known
10:20for its car chases.
10:22William Friedkin's The French Connection remains one of the finest of these films.
10:25This is thanks not only to the quality of its acting, but for one iconic sequence through
10:29the streets of Brooklyn.
10:30The sight of Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle chasing a suspect who's riding an elevated train still
10:36provides sweat-inducing stress and anxiety from audiences.
10:48This is all thanks to the impeccable stunt coordination of Bill Hickman, and the cinematography
10:52of Owen Roisman.
10:54That front bumper shot makes us feel like we're along for the ride, as Doyle risks
10:57only his life, but the lives of everyone in his way during the pursuit.
11:18Number 10.
11:19The Italian Job
11:27Although the 2003 remake has garnered some favorable reviews and features some pretty
11:31drool-worthy cars, we've set our sights on the British original that blew the doors off
11:35the genre.
11:36Starring Michael Caine as the head of a crew of criminals trying to pull off a monumental
11:40heist in Italy, the film features some classy cars from the turn of the decade, including
11:44an orange Lamborghini Miura, an Aston Martin DB4, Jag-E types, and a black Fiat Dino coupe.
11:51Of course, car lovers will enjoy what the film is best known for, its climactic car
11:55chase scene involving a trio of stylish Mini Coopers.
12:09Number 9.
12:11Memphis Rains
12:16Don't get us wrong, the 1974 original has definitely got a few tricks up its sleeve,
12:21but when it comes to gorgeous automobiles, the remake has got them, and then some.
12:25Featuring a stunning Angelina Jolie-Nicholas Cage in fine form and a pedal-to-the-metal
12:29plot, the real beauties here are the 50 expensive cars master thief Memphis Rains must steal
12:34to save his brother's life.
12:47Beginning with a 1999 Aston Martin DB7, as well as exquisite DB1 and ending with a 2000
12:52Volvo V70R, the cars are dreamy to behold, but none so much as the prized Eleanor, a
12:581967 Shelby Mustang GT500, which received a star title credit in the movie.
13:08Number 8.
13:09Vanishing Point
13:10With heart-pumping action, dangerous stunts, a chase across post-hippie America, and a
13:21white 1970 Dodge Challenger RT loaded with a 440 Magnum, car movies can't get much
13:26better than this surreal gem.
13:28Referenced in multiple songs, television shows, and even video games, the epic chase between
13:32the police and mysterious driver Kowalski has since captured the imaginations of film
13:37directors from Quentin Tarantino to Steven Spielberg.
13:47There are enough revving engines, car crashes, and racing sequences in this cult classic
13:50road movie to appeal to vehicle lovers of any age and from any background.
14:05Number 7.
14:06Rush
14:07Arguably the finest professional racing flick of all time, this tense and thrilling film
14:22brings to life the fierce rivalry between Formula One drivers Nicky Lauda and James
14:27Hunt in 1976.
14:28A far cry from the safer vehicles of today, drivers back then were daredevils.
14:33There was no such thing as roll cages, aerodynamics usually worked against you rather than for
14:37you, and high speed crashes were usually a death sentence.
14:56This Ron Howard film captures the danger of F1 racing back in the day brilliantly, and
15:00gives us sequences that make us grimace, wince, and squeal with anxiety and anticipation.
15:18Number 6.
15:19Ronin
15:20As if the idea of Robert De Niro kicking ass and taking names in France wasn't exciting
15:29enough, director John Frankenheimer went and made it even better.
15:33While the film admittedly spends most of its time on the team of ex-special ops trying
15:37to steal the mysterious briefcase, the car chase scenes through Nice and Paris all filmed
15:41live have been noted as some of the best of all time.
15:59Considering there were over 2,000 extras, 300 stunt drivers, and appearances by a Mercedes
16:03SEL, a vintage and overpowered Benz W116, an Audi S8, BMW 535i, a Citroën XM, and a
16:12variety of Peugeots, to name a few, there can be no doubt that this action-thriller
16:16deserves a place on our list.
16:30Number 5.
16:31The Fast and the Furious franchise
16:48Any list of movies for people who like car movies would be incomplete without at least
16:51a cursory mention of the Fast and Furious franchise.
16:54This seemingly endless series of films emerged from relatively humble and realistic beginnings
16:58to become a franchise that knowingly thumbs its nose at physics and logic.
17:12This is all part of the charm for its fans, however, although true car enthusiasts will
17:16likely point to earlier films in the franchise as superior, thanks to their comparative lack
17:20of CGI.
17:21Still, the Fast and the Furious movies are nothing if not a spectacle, and their set
17:25pieces repeatedly set new bars for I-Can't-Believe-They-Just-Did-That-What-The-Heckery.
17:43Number 4.
17:44Ford vs. Ferrari
17:52Everybody loves a good competition story, right?
17:55Ford vs. Ferrari from 2019 documented and dramatized the Ford Motor Company's determined
17:59quest to beat out the heavily favored Italian Ferrari team at Le Mans in 1966.
18:04The cast, including Christian Bale and Matt Damon, is outstanding, and they helped throw
18:08the movie back to classic car films of the 1960s and 70s.
18:24The story's simple but compelling, and the racing scenes are well-actualized and thrilling.
18:28Ford vs. Ferrari could have easily fallen into the lazy tropism that's sometimes associated
18:33with films like this, but director James Mangold and the screenwriting team wound up telling
18:37a really fun story.
18:38Number 3.
18:55Grand Prix
19:01Hollywood artistry meets real-life Formula One greatness here in 1966's Grand Prix.
19:07This film from director John Frankenheimer includes appearances by real-life racing legends
19:11within its fictional narrative of Ford-determined drivers.
19:14All of these men behind the wheel have their own motivations for winning, and Grand Prix
19:17allows both their personal and professional lives to influence how they wind up at the
19:21climax.
19:22The cast is brilliant, from James Garner and Antonio Sabato Sr. to Jessica Walter and French
19:43singer-songwriter Françoise Hardy.
19:45Grand Prix is an exciting old-school Hollywood spectacle that truly towers in both artistic
19:49merit and technical achievement.
19:52Number 2.
19:53Mad Max Fury Road
20:08George Miller's Mad Max franchise has always been something of a comfort food haven for
20:12car enthusiasts.
20:13It's a film series that practically invented the parameters of post-apocalyptic cinema,
20:17from its explosive and violent car attacks to reckless chases through water-deprived
20:21wastelands.
20:22The Road Warrior from 1981 helped codify these tropes, but the genre was largely in the rearview
20:27prior to Fury Road's revelatory premiere in 2015.
20:42Miller's dedication to old-school, practical filmmaking made all the difference, as each
20:46pursuit felt dangerous and real, because they were.
20:49Furiosa may have flopped, but will always back Mad Max wherever he decides to wander.
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21:19Number 1.
21:20Bullitt
21:21You can't officially call yourself a gearhead unless you've watched this seminal car-lover's
21:33classic.
21:34Featuring the macho Steve McQueen in all his McQueeniness, a 1969 Ford Mustang 390 Fastback,
21:40and a Dodge Charger 440 Magnum, the film became a critical and box office smash and resulted
21:45in a cult following from fans of the genre.
21:47The crowning achievement of this dramatic thriller, however, is undoubtedly the chase
21:51scene through the streets of San Francisco.
22:09Called one of cinema's most exciting and all-time best, it has been excessively copied, parodied,
22:13and referenced in a sequence that has set the standard for all car chase scenes to come
22:16after.
22:34Do you prefer the old-school methods of shooting car chases or modern CGI spectacle?
22:38Let us know in the comments.
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