In most movies, the cars are just as important as the characters, and the characters' vehicles can tell audiences a lot about their personality, such as James Bond's Aston Martin, which was recently up for auction at over $1.5 million. But whether it's an innocent-looking Volkswagen Beetle or an intimidating Pontiac Firebird, they don't mean much if they're just parked for the whole movie.
These movies showcase their iconic cars in ways that only a film could, as they speed up huge ramps and evade Italian police in underground tunnels. Between creating the street racing zeitgeist, tearing San Francisco apart, and turning Nascar into a thrilling comedy, these films are in a lane of their own.
Baby Driver (2017)
Baby Driver follows a getaway driver who drives in sync with the music that he's listening to, and though there are so many movies about getaway drivers, none are as original or as well-shot as this.
Writer-director Edgar Wright's frenetic filmmaking style reached its peak with the 2017 movie, and the way Baby speeds, drifts, and spins to "Bellbottoms" by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is more exciting than any CGI setpiece. And even though the movie is only five years old, the red Subaru Impreza deserves to be in the movie car hall of fame.
Gone In 60 Seconds (2000)
Gone in 60 Seconds is a unique take on the heist movie, as a former car thief (Nicolas Cage) must come out of retirement to steal 50 cars in one night. The film is full of classic American muscle vehicles used in some high-octane action scenes, and it was Angelina Jolie's breakthrough movie role, as she instantly proved that she could be an action heroine.
Even though the 2000 movie is one of Nicolas Cage's lowest-scoring movies on Rotten Tomatoes, the action sequences are so well put together. The vehicles in the movie, whether it's the Porsche 966 or the Shelby Mustang GT500, are so cool that many fans have gotten their cars restored and reupholstered to look like them too. And given how Cage is having a huge comeback, National Treasure 3 or Face/Off 2.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
Any one of the first three 2 Fast 2 Furious unapologetically bathed in the over-the-top cartoonishness of modding Japanese imports. But Tokyo Drift focuses more on racing than any other movie in the franchise, and the Mazda RX7 is almost a character itself.
Not only that, but though the Fast and Furious series had been diverse since the very first movie, Tokyo Drift had an almost entire non-American cast, which was a huge and irable risk for a blockbuster movie. And the result is an authentic-feeling racing film that's well-researched and drenched the country's culture. Though the film didn't have the best reception upon release, it has since become a cult classic, and even Christopher Nolan loves Tokyo Drift.
Bumblebee (2018)
Transformers movie in 2007. The 2018 film stripped back the convoluted narrative and global destruction for a smaller, shorter, and much more focused and thrilling story. The film focuses on the titular Transformer, a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro, and its relationship with a teenage girl.
The film is surprisingly heartwarming and uplifting considering it's a part of the same series where human characters take a back seat. But it's still full of action, and it's the best use of a Chevy in cinema. It also excitingly ends with Bumblebee riding alongside the most iconic truck in cinema too, the blue and red 1987 Freightliner, also known as Optimus Prime.
The Italian Job (1969)
Few movies have been so beneficial to the success of a product as The Italian job was for the Mini Cooper. The movie follows a group of conmen who plan to steal gold in Italy, and their getaway plan sees them evading the police in an intricate escape route in three Mini Coopers. It's one of the most iconic sequences in film history, and, according to Variety, it was even recreated in Grand Theft Auto V.
The 1969 movie is even interchangeable on the list with the 2003 Mark Wahlberg-starring remake, which is one of the few remakes that's just as good as the original. Because of the use of Minis in the film, the cheap and practical vehicle became massively in demand, and, according to Newsweek, there was a 20% spike in Mini sales after the remake too.
Death Proof (2007)
as Tarantino put it himself, "Death Proof has got to be the worst movie I ever make. And for a left-handed movie, that wasn't so bad, all right? So, if that's the worst I ever get, I'm good." Compared to the director's usual sprawling epic, Death Proof is fairly condensed, as it tells the story of a serial killer stuntman who murders women with his modified "death-proof" 1973 Mustang.
While there isn't much to the premise, it features Tarantino's very best action sequences, as muscle cars with huge engines soar through midair and get completely torn apart. It's also noteworthy for having an all-star cast of heroic females way before it was done with Ocean's 8. And while Tarantino is one of the best in the industry at directing original movies, the 2007 movie makes audiences wonder what the filmmaker could do with Fast & Furious.
Herbie Rides Again (1974)
Herbie Rides Again is all about Nicole, who looks after her grandmother, Mrs. Steinmetz, but it seems as if Mrs. Steinmetz doesn't need to look after her. The grandmother owns Herbie, a sentient Volkswagen Beetle, and together, they make an unstoppable and even intimidating duo.
The movie takes place in San Francisco, and it takes advantage of Golden City better than any other film. Superman might have seen the Man of Steel repairing the Golden Gate Bridge, but the 1974 film sees the Love Bug driving up to it. Just like The Italian Job did for Mini, Herbie Rides Again turned the Beetle into an iconic movie car.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Nobody is watching Anchorman for the news reporting of major 70s events. The 2006 movie is a Will Ferrell-led comedy first and foremost, as it sees the actor and John C. Reilly at the top of their game.
However, the film does a surprisingly great job of depicting the thrills and the sense of speed of Nascar. The race cars look great, and Ricky Bobby's personal 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu gets a deserving amount of screen time. And it might be hard to believe, but the final race is just as exciting as Rush, if not more so.
The Driver (1978)
Director Walter Hill isn't talked about enough when it comes to great 70s directors. The filmmaker was the best at creating dark and moody crime flicks. His most famous movie is the New York-based The Driver takes his aesthetically pleasing style to the West Coast.
The Driver is a classic revenge tale, but it's full of amazing chase sequences, and it features some of the best car chases of the 70s. The cars in the movie have just as much of an important role as the characters, and it's one of the few films to truly utilize the Pontiac Firebird.
Drive (2011)
The first 12 minutes of Drive follow the Driver hired as a getaway driver, and his car of choice is the mundane and unexciting-but-reliable Chevrolet Impala, which, as Shannon notes, is the most common car in L.A. But, ironically, it's the most exciting, intense, and suspenseful 12 minutes of any 2010s movie.
When a film manages to make an Impala look like it has the horsepower of a souped-up Mustang and is as cool as Nissan Skyline, it could be the most well-shot car-based movie ever made. The movie is full of spectacular-looking vehicles and car chases too, but no film made such a quick and startling impression on viewers as Drive.
