10 exciting car movies

Lifehacker has already released a selection movies about racing. Now we decided to talk about pictures in which cars play no less a role than the main characters.

10. Kristina

Christine

• USA, 1983.
• Horror, thriller.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

In 1958, the Plymouth automobile plant produced another car of the Fury series, painted to order in red. Even on the assembly line, when working with this car, one mechanic is crippled, and the other dies. In 1978, a modest teenager Arnie Cunningham buys this already pretty shabby car and calls 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. 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. In the film adaptation, this discrepancy was avoided. Although the authors still had to get out: getting a serviceable Plymouth Fury was not easy, so very similar Belvedere and Savoy models were filmed in separate scenes.

9. Carrier

The transporter

• France, USA, 2002.
• Action, crime, adventure.
• Duration: 92 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.8.

Former military Frank, after his retirement, earns in a not entirely legal way: he transports people and goods without asking questions. The hero does not ask for 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 was hired to transport a tied girl. Frank decides to help the victim and gets involved in a dangerous confrontation with the mafia.

In the first part of the "Carrier" trilogy, producer and screenwriter Luc Besson and director Louis Leterrier created the perfect image for Jason State: he is always dressed up to the point and masterfully drives the powerful BMW E38. In the second and third films, the hero changes the car for an Audi A8.

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8. Crazy Max

Mad max

• Australia, 1979.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 88 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.9.

In the not too distant future, a fuel shortage crisis begins in Australia. Because of this, looters are increasingly appearing on the roads. They must be neutralized by the police in special vehicles with powerful engines. One of the guardians of order - Max Rokatansky - enters into a confrontation with bikers, which leads to tragic consequences for him.

Now "Mad Max" is better known for post-apocalyptic continuation. However, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the very basis of the story that director George Miller came up with while watching the fuel crisis in his native Australia. The protagonist's most famous car, referred to in the film as the Special Pursuit, is based on a 1970s limited edition Ford Falcon XB GT351. 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, thriller.
• Duration: 143 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

Mechanical aliens, the Autobots, have been at war with their sworn enemies, the Decepticons, for centuries. Both come to Earth in search of the Great Spark - the source of the power of all robots. It turns out that only a simple young man Sam Whitwicky can lead to it. And he is just buying himself a used car - actually a disguised Autobot Bumblebee. It is this pair that will be at the center of the confrontation between the two alien races.

Initially in cartoons about transformers, Bumblebee has always been a Volkswagen Beetle, which is noticeable even from the name of the character. But the director of the film adaptation, Michael Bay, wanted to avoid associations with the Herbie series of films about an intelligent car of the same model. Therefore, in the films, 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 320 with a flat nose was replaced by the 379 - it is longer and more imposing.

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6. Death proof

Death proof

• USA, 2007.
• Action, thriller.
• Duration: 114 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

Aging stuntman Mike takes odd ways to meet girls. He offers one of them a ride on his car, in which it is impossible to crash. And with others, he even arranges a death race. And one of the group of friends is on the roof of the car.

Quentin Tarantino loves old films very much. Therefore, in the film about racing, he collected popular retro muscle cars, which were often shown in classic cinema.

So, first, Mike drives a black Chevrolet Nova from 1971, on the nose of which there is a figurine of a duck 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 in a yellow 1972 Ford Mustang, and stunt stunts are performed on his main competitor of the same time - a white Dodge Challenger 1970th.

5. Lock

Locke

• UK, USA, 2013.
• Drama.
• Duration: 85 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.1.

Ivan Locke, who supervises the construction of a skyscraper in Birmingham, drives home. He hurries to his wife and children, and tomorrow the hero has an important day at work. But suddenly a call rings: the girl with whom Locke slept a few months ago, will soon give birth to a child from him.

There is only one actor in this intimate film by Stephen Knight - Tom Hardy. The rest appear only as voices on the phone. And all the main action takes place in the car. Therefore, the creators of "Lock" really put Hardy in a BMW X5, loaded the car onto a tractor and spent eight nights filming 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.

Kowalski makes his living ferrying cars between cities and states. One day he receives an order to deliver another car to California. Here are just trying to interfere with the driver for an unclear reason. policemen. 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 1970 white 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 the 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.

Salesman David Mann drives his car through California. He is trying to overtake a huge fuel tanker. But an invisible truck driver is putting on a dangerous race. It will be very difficult to survive in this fight.

"Duel" was indeed filmed in California, and the work on location took only two weeks. The protagonist here drives a 1970 Plymouth Valiant. Two more very similar cars were used in the film, but an untrained viewer would hardly notice the difference. And the director Steven Spielberg not too worried about the model of the car. He just wanted it to be red: so the car stood out more clearly against the backdrop of landscapes.

The pursuer was an old 1955 Peterbilt 281 truck. Spielberg chose it for its long nose and round headlights, which gave the impression of a human face and made the subject look more sinister. The car was specially smeared with dirt and grease and many number 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 from 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 a taxi. 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 the passengers about his sexual experience. Each of these stories invariably unfolds 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 turned out to be working in real cars. There are five different types of taxis in Nights on Earth. All these are cars produced in the 1970s and 1980s. In the US, the action takes place in Chevrolet and Ford, in France Peugeot was filmed, in Italy - Fiat, and in Finland - Volvo.

1. Back to the Future

Back to the future

• USA, 1985.
• Science fiction, adventure, comedy.
• Duration: 116 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.5.

Teen Marty McFly is friends with genius, but eccentric scientist Emmett Brown. One day he invites the young man to take part in the tests of the time machine. Criminals intervene in the experiment, and Marty, fleeing the villains, moves to 1955, where he almost spoils the future of his parents.

The DeLorean DMC-12 car, in which the heroes traveled in time, has become 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, the 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.

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What are your favorite cars from the movies? Do you like powerful modern cars or retro style? If your favorite painting on this topic was not included in the list, tell us about it in the comments.