Worst2First: My Top Ten Car Films

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Car Films

As states begin lifting their bans on staying at home, more people are climbing into their cars and taking a long-awaited joyride.  To honor our reunion with our cars, I made a list of my personal top ten car films.

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

Gone in 60 Seconds

Before "The Fast and the Furious," there was "Gone in 60 Seconds."  Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Robert Duvall, Will Patton and Vinnie Jones star in this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced adrenaline-fueled utterly insane car heist film.  Cage's character must steal 50 cars in one night, or his brother will be killed, and it's pretty much as crazy as you expect, filled with epic car chases, beautiful cars, and intense editing that will have you on the edge of your seat.

#9

 The Italian Job

Serving as an homage to the 1969 film, "The Italian Job" features a stellar ensemble cast including Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Seth Green, Mos Def and Donald Sutherland as a group of thieves who plan to steal from a former associate who double-crossed them.  The film features several standout car chases and focuses more on the Mini Cooper-style car that allowed for more confined, claustrophobic car chases than in other films.

#8

 Days of Thunder

Loosely based on real-life NASCAR driver Tim Richmond, "Days of Thunder" stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman (in their first film together) and focuses on young upstart NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, who wants to win the Indianapolis 500 but must combat his own hubris and find a perfect car to race in.  While it's pretty much "Top Gun" for the car circuit, the film works due to the performances by Cruise, Kidman, Robert Duvall and Michael Rooker, as well as the Hans Zimmer score and energetic car races.

#7

 Ford v Ferrari

Centering on the true life story of how Ford managed to combat the unstoppable Ferrari company during the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, "Ford v Ferrari" showcases how Carroll Shelby and his racer Ken Miles embarked on a months-long process to work with Ford in making a car that can tackle Ferrari's dominance in the race, resulting in strong performances by Matt Damon and Christian Bale.  The race itself is dazzling and spellbinding, earning the film two Academy Awards for film and sound editing, making you feel like you're in the driver's seat in the most intense race you'll experience.

#6

 Mad Max: Fury Road

The long-running post-apocalyptic wasteland franchise "Mad Max" found a resurgence in 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road" with Tom Hardy taking over Mel Gibson's role of Max, a man who's just trying to survive in a world gone mad.  He aids Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa with rescuing a group of women from the evil cult leader Imortan Joe, resulting in one of the most epic and wild car chases set to film.  The movie earned ten Oscar nominations and won six, and serves as an adrenaline-fueled race through the desert with fierce fighting and perfect editing - not bad for a film directed by a man in his seventies.

#5

Drive

Ryan Gosling stars as the unnamed Driver, a former Hollywood stunt driver who now moonlights as a getaway driver.  He falls for his neighbor (played by Carey Mulligan), but when a heist goes wrong, all their lives are threatened.  Gosling gives a terrific performance in that he hardly shows any emotion throughout the film, but remains as mysterious and elusive as his character does, and the driving sequences are intense, action-packed, and wholly memorable.

#4

 Baby Driver

Count on Edgar Wright to deliver a completely insane, nonstop, balls-to-the-wall hybrid of action, crime, comedy, musical and romance film to really get your blood pumping.  Angel Elgort stars as Baby, a getaway driver who has tinnitus, so he has to listen to his iPod in order to focus on driving, and who wants to get out of the crime business but his boss won't let him go easily.  The soundtrack is exceptional, but the real driving point of the film is the stylish editing and wild car chases that blend the classic with the modern - but it's really the soundtrack that sells it.

#3

 American Graffiti

There was a time where on a Friday night you'd get your friends, go down to the local malt shop, flirt with girls, and cruise down the main street in your classic cars.  "American Graffiti" perfectly encapsulates that memorable time, directed by a pre-"Star Wars" George Lucas - a movie about a group of students and one exciting night they'll never forget as they embark on adulthood and all the joys, fears, and excitement it brings.  The film features a lot of fancy, classic cars that'll have you pining for the olden days - or at least eagerly wait for the next car show in your area.

#2

 The Fast and the Furious

The franchise that everyone now associates with car films, "The Fast and the Furious" has gone through an incredible transformation since the first film in 2001.  No longer about illegal drag racing and souped-up cars, now it's more about the "family" working with the government to take down international terrorists.  The first film remains the best, the most pure, and the most exciting when it comes to car races.  It seems so long ago that we had Paul Walker's undercover officer Brian O'Conner investigating Vin Diesel's street racer Dominic Toretto that it feels like a dream, but when you re-watch this classic you'll get your blood pumping again with the exciting chases, comradere, and especially the fantastic cars.

#1

 Bullitt

No one epitomizes classic Hollywood drivers more than Steve McQueen, and "Bullitt" serves as one of the best car movies ever made.  McQueen stars as the titular Bullitt, who must protect a mobster who's turning on his fellow men from being killed before he can testify.  The film is filled with stylish action set against a jazzy Lalo Schifrin score, but it's the now-iconic car chase between Bullitt's Ford Mustang and the bad guy's Dodge Charger that remains embedded in our memories.  McQueen did his own driving (which reached to over 110 miles an hour, all the while cinematographer William Fraker was strapped to his hood), and revolutionized how car chases in film were done to this day.