10 exciting films for fans of cool cars
10. Christina
Christine
USA, 1983.
Horror, thriller.
Duration: 110 minutes.
IMDb: 6.7.
In 1958, the Plymouth automobile plant produced another car in the Fury series, painted red to order. Even on the assembly line, while working with this car, one mechanic is injured and another dies. In 1978, this already pretty shabby car was bought by a modest teenager, Arnie Cunningham, and named it Christina. But soon she begins to subjugate her master and destroy all his enemies.
The film by horror master John Carpenter is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. Moreover, in the original the author has a significant mistake: he describes Christina as a four-door sedan, although in 1958 the Plymouth Fury was produced only in the format of a two-door coupe. This discrepancy was avoided in the film adaptation. Although the authors still had to get out of it: getting serviceable Plymouth Furys turned out to be difficult, so very similar Belvedere and Savoy models were filmed in some scenes.
9. Carrier
The Transporter
France, USA, 2002.
Action, crime, adventure.
Duration: 92 minutes.
IMDb: 6.8.
Still from the film about cars "Carrier"
Still from the film "The Transporter"
Former military man Frank, after retirement, earns money in a not entirely legal way: he transports people and cargo, no questions asked. The hero does not ask the names of customers and never looks at what is in his trunk. But one day he breaks the last rule and discovers that he has been hired to transport a tied up girl. Frank decides to help the victim and gets involved in a dangerous confrontation with the mafia.
In the first part of the Transporter trilogy, producer and screenwriter Luc Besson and director Louis Leterrier created the ideal image of Jason Statham: he is always dressed to the nines and skillfully drives a powerful BMW E38. In the second and third films, the hero changes his car to an Audi A8.
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8. Mad Max
Mad Max
Australia, 1979.
Science fiction, action, thriller.
Duration: 88 minutes.
IMDb: 6.9.
In the near future, Australia faces a fuel shortage crisis. Because of this, looters are increasingly appearing on the roads. They must be neutralized by police in special vehicles with powerful engines. One of the law enforcement officers, Max Rockatansky, comes into conflict with the bikers, which leads to tragic consequences for him.
Nowadays Mad Max is better known for its post-apocalyptic sequels. However, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the very basis of the story, which director George Miller came up with while observing the fuel crisis in his native Australia. The main character's most famous car, which in the film is called the "Special Pursuit", was assembled based on the limited edition Ford Falcon XB GT351 of the 1970s. And the supercharger on the hood, which gives the car a more sinister and sporty look, is just a dummy.
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7. Transformers
Transformers
USA, 2007.
Science fiction, action.
Duration: 143 minutes.
IMDb: 7.0.
Still from the movie about cars "Transformers"
Still from the movie "Transformers"
Mechanical aliens, the Autobots, have been fighting their sworn enemies the Decepticons for many centuries. Both come to Earth in search of the Great Spark - the source of power for all robots. It turns out that only a simple young man, Sam Witwicky, can lead her to her. And he is just buying himself a used car - in fact, the disguised Autobot Bumblebee. It is this couple that will be at the center of the confrontation between two alien races.
Initially, in cartoons about Transformers, Bumblebee was always represented by a Volkswagen Beetle, which is noticeable even by the character’s name. But the director of the film adaptation, Michael Bay, wanted to avoid associations with the Herbie series of films about a sentient car of the same model. So in the movies it was turned into a Chevrolet Camaro. First - in the 1976 model, and then in new versions. The hero was able to return to his original image only in the solo film “Bumblebee”.
The main Autobot, Optimus Prime, remained a Peterbilt truck. Only the shorter, flat-nose 320 has been replaced by the 379, which is longer and more impressive looking.
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6. Proof of death
Death Proof
USA, 2007.
Action, thriller.
Duration: 114 minutes.
IMDb: 7.0.
Aging stuntman Mike chooses strange ways to meet girls. He offers some people a ride in his car, which is impossible to crash in. And with others he even starts a deadly race. Moreover, one of the group of friends ends up on the roof of the car.
Quentin Tarantino loves old films. Therefore, in the film about racing, he collected popular retro cars such as muscle cars, which were often shown in classic films.
So, at first Mike drives a black 1971 Chevrolet Nova, on the nose of which there is a figurine of a duckling from the movie “Convoy”. And then he changes to a black 1969 Dodge Charger. The girls from the second half of the film get to their destination
racing on a yellow 1972 Ford Mustang, and stunts are performed on its main competitor of the same time - a white 1970 Dodge Challenger.
5. Lock
Locke
UK, USA, 2013.
Drama.
Duration: 85 minutes.
IMDb: 7.1.
Ivan Lock, who is supervising the construction of a skyscraper in Birmingham, is on his way home. He hurries to his wife and children, and tomorrow the hero has an important day at work. But suddenly the phone rings: the girl Lock slept with a few months ago will soon give birth to his child.
There is only one actor in this chamber film by Steven Knight - Tom Hardy. The rest appear only as voices on the phone. And all the main action takes place in the car. So the makers of Locke actually put Hardy in a BMW X5, loaded the car onto a tractor-trailer and filmed for eight nights on the road leading from Birmingham to London.
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4. Vanishing point
Vanishing Point
USA, 1971.
Action, thriller, crime.
Duration: 99 minutes.
IMDb: 7.2.
Still from the movie about cars “Vanishing Point”
Still from the movie “Vanishing Point”
Kowalski makes his living transporting cars between cities and states. One day he receives an order to deliver another car to California. But for some unknown reason the police are trying to stop the driver. Chases often end in accidents, but each time the hero tries to make sure that no one is killed, and then continues on his way.
It was from this film that Quentin Tarantino took the white 1970 Dodge Challenger into Death Proof. Moreover, the image of the car turned out to be so recognizable that it was preserved in the 1997 remake of Vanishing Point of the same name. Although the plot in the new version has changed quite a lot.
3. Duel
Duel
USA, 1971.
Action, thriller.
Duration: 89 minutes.
IMDb: 7.6.
Still from the film about cars “Duel”
Still from the film "Duel"
Salesman David Mann drives his car through California. He is trying to overtake a huge fuel tanker. But an invisible truck driver is running a dangerous race. Surviving this battle will be very difficult.
“Duel” was actually filmed in California, and the work on location took only two weeks. The main character here drives a 1970 Plymouth Valiant. The film featured two more very similar cars, but an untrained viewer is unlikely to notice the difference. Moreover, director Steven Spielberg was not too worried about the model of the car. He just wanted it to be red: so the car would stand out more clearly against the background of the landscape.
The pursuer's vehicle was an old 1955 Peterbilt 281 truck. Spielberg chose it because of its long nose and round headlights, which gave the appearance of a human face and made the subject appear more sinister. The car was specially smeared with dirt and grease and a lot of license plates were attached to it. Interestingly, the film crew had only one truck at their disposal. Therefore, the scene of his crash had to be filmed in the first and only take.
2. Night on Earth
Night on Earth
France, Great Britain, Germany, USA, Japan, 1991.
Drama, comedy.
Duration: 129 minutes.
IMDb: 7.7.
In five megacities around the world, unexpected situations occur in taxis. In Los Angeles, a girl driver meets a casting agent. In Paris, a taxi driver is driving a blind woman. For some reason, the Roman driver tells passengers about his sexual experience. Each of these stories invariably takes place at night.
Jim Jarmusch actually shot the film in different countries, which caused a lot of difficulties. In Italy, the film crew was even arrested due to problems with documents.
However, the most difficult thing for the director was working in real cars. There are five different types of taxis in Night on Earth. All of these are cars from the 1970s and 80s. In the USA, the action takes place in Chevrolet and Ford, in France they filmed Peugeot, in Italy - Fiat, and in Finland - Volvo.
1. Back to the Future
Back to the Future
USA, 1985.
Fantasy, adventure, comedy.
Duration: 116 minutes.
IMDb: 8.5.
Teenager Marty McFly befriends the brilliant but eccentric scientist Emmett Brown. One day he invites the young man to take part in testing a time machine. Criminals interfere with the experiment, and Marty, running away from the villains, moves to 1955, where he almost ruins the future of his parents.
The DeLorean DMC‑12, in which the heroes traveled through time, became no less recognizable symbol for the franchise than Marty and Dr. Brown themselves. Moreover, in reality, this model was considered extremely unsuccessful: at a high price, the build quality turned out to be very low. Therefore, DMC‑12 was produced for only a few years, after which production was closed. It was the film that made the car a real legend.
