There are no doubt many lists of the greatest racing movies of all time ranked from best to worst by a variety of highly accredited sources. With those lists in existence I see no reason to rehash what is already out there, so this is merely a compilation of great racing films I have seen with a few critically acclaimed I want to see weaved in.
Of course there are more movies than I can count with fast cars and chase scenes, but this list is focused on actual racing and car-culture movies.
There are no Death Races, no “Gone in 60 Seconds”, no “Speed” movies on this list. I detest movies about a dystopia future, anything that is just savage wrecking of machines and in general films that are shot unnecessarily dark. “Cars” (2006), the animated Disney movie, is also just not for me. It’s about NASCAR, which I’m not really interested in, but more importantly the principles of the personified cars is just not right with me. If cars were alive their headlights would be their eyes, not their windshields.
So here they are in no particular order, a list of racing movies you should see as recommended by me:
1. “Le Mans” (1971) — OK so maybe this is in order. “Le Mans” is a classic, and if you even have a hint of car/race enthusiasm in your blood you should see it. Starring the legendary Steve McQueen, it yields an inside look of classic prototype racing.
2. “Rush” (2013) — Starring so many people’s Aussie crush Chris Hemsworth, I personally think this movie lived up to the hype. I made a big deal about and saw it the night it came out with my Society of Automotive Engineers teammates. The film takes place in the mid-1970s amidst the heavy Formula 1 competition between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. I wish there hadn’t been quite so much CGI racing (even some of the still shots). That is my only large complaint about the film. Hemsworth filled the seats, but Daniel Brühl who played Lauda was an excellent casting. His accent was on point and he really looked like Lauda.
3. “The Fast and the Furious” 1-7 — This could use its own column. No matter how cheesy the one-liners, no matter how bad the acting ever was, I loved these movies. As the No.1 movie this summer it should be noted that these films came from humble roots. The first three movies were heavily focused on street racing and car culture. I don’t care if anyone else liked it but I loved the animated trips through the engine to see the nitrous oxide being released. The movies made a significant shift around the fourth installment from car-culture/racing movies to your run-of-the-mill international heist movies. Too bad, I think. The soundtracks also evolved with the first film being full of hard rap and alternative ‘90s rock to the last three movies having Pitbull and Wiz Khalifa. I guess the Spanish influence was always there because Vin Diesel is supposed to be Hispanic and related to Jordana Brewster (OK). While Paul Walker’s hair faded to a brown buzzcut he never ceased being “blondie” in the films. My own personal bias loves that Brian O’Connors signature car was always a Nissan GTR.
4. “Speed Racer” (2008) - This movie tanked in the box office. It was based on the famous anime and manga series and starred Emile Hirsche. So it didn’t do so well. So what? I can’t live my life based on what Rotten Tomatoes thinks. This movie was just fun like Tron. I’ve personally always loved Speed Racer. The Mach 5, Racer X, just classic stuff. And I thought Hirsche did a decent-enough job.
5. “Driven” (2001) - Fast and the Furious was not the only racing movie that came out in 2001. A major flop, “Driven” starred Sylvester Stallone as a “fallen legend” who came to coach a rookie in Formula 1. Every time I watch this movie I can’t help but to admit it is pretty bad. Nevertheless, I grew up watching it and someday soon I’ll probably stumble across it at my parents' house and pop it into the DVD player.
To wrap up, I want to mention some flicks I hope to stream soon: “Winning: the Racing of Paul Newman,” “Days of Thunder” (I haven’t seen it in about 15 years), “Speedway” and “Viva Las Vegas,” two classic Elvis Presley racing and singing movies, “Grand Prix,” a classic from 1966 that features a young and hot Lucille Bluth and “To Please a Lady,” a 1950s flick starring Clark Gable.
Erika Canfijn is a UF public relations senior. Her column appears on Thursday.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 7/9/15]
