In the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari, Chrisitan Bale gave an outstanding performance as legendary Ford racing driver Ken Miles. The driver who rose to prominence when the Ford Motor Company got its first victory against the dominant Ferrari racing team at the 1966 Le Mans competition was a maestro behind the wheel.
Bales’ perfect portrayal cemented Miles’ place as one of the best movie drivers of all time. But who are some other movie drivers who wowed us with their prowess on the tarmac? There have been dozens of petrolheads who wouldn’t remove their feet from the accelerators until the job was done. However, we’ll narrow them down to the ten best ones.
Fox: Wanted
It’s hard not to love Angelina Jolie’s character in Wanted. In the movie, she is Fox, a lady from a secret organization known as The Fraternity. She is tasked with protecting a man called Wesley from an assassin and she does so with unbelievable expertise. The scene where she speeds towards a standing Wesley and yanks him into her car while all odds show she is going to hit him is simply breathtaking.
She also manages to control the car with her feet at one point while using her hands to shoot at the assassin. Wesley’s facial expressions are filled with creases of shock the entire time because he just can’t believe the stunts Fox is pulling. This is definitely one of Jolie’s best-ever performances.
Stuntman Mike: Death Proof
No one ever thought we’d get a horror movie about driving, but trust Tarantino to give us one. In the movie, Mike (Kurt Russel) is an insane stuntman who uses modified death-proof cars from the ’70s to kill people. Mike deliberately causes accidents since he knows his car is safe and he will survive.
Death Proof is not one of Tarantino’s more popular movies but it is insane on all levels. Mike drives like a maniac at all times and this keeps you out of your seat, not even at the edge of it. The precision with which he targets other vehicles with his own safe car is memorable. In the end, he gets what was coming to him. He is beaten to death by a group of ladies he was targeting, one of whom somehow survived a lengthy ride on the hood of Mike’s car.
Mike Lowry: The Bad Boys Trilogy
The best part about Detective Lowry’s dare-devilish style of driving is the constant look of panic on his partner Marcus Burnett’s face. Poor Marcus. He always wishes he wouldn’t have to be in a car with Mike but he always finds himself in exactly those circumstances. Lowry (Will Smith) knows no speed limit when trying to catch bad boys or when escaping from the main villain’s henchmen.
Bad Boys For Life was full of epic driving sequences but the freeway and street chase scenes in Bad Boys 2 were more memorable. Marcus just couldn’t stop screaming and fearing for his life while Lowry was clearly having a lot of fun. He didn’t even blink when dead bodies from a morgue van came flying into his windscreen.
Six: 6 Underground
6 Underground is the definitive Michael Bay movie. That means it ticks all the boxes of annoying things that critics have always accused him of. However, it is full of entertaining moments. One such moment happens at the beginning of the film when the crew is being chased in Florence, Italy after killing a middle-Eastern dictator’s most-trusted general’s lawyer.
They are in a green Alpha Romeo Giulia supercar, driven by a man known as Six. He is such an expert that his fellow crew members manage to perform surgery in the back while he is driving. Unfortunately, Six doesn’t last in the movie. He dies at the end of the chase his artful rampage through the streets of Florence remains a classic moment in movie history.
Lt. Frank Bullitt: Bullit
Steve McQueen driving a Mustang while hunting down a group of hitmen in San Fransico? You’ve got to love that. In the movie, McQueen is the badass Lieutenant Frank Bullitt. On one occasion, Bullit is being chased by two men in a Dodge Charger. He dodges the Dodge only to reappear behind it and begin pursuing the men. What ensues is an everlasting chase that ends with Bullit on top.
Even in moments when it looks like Bullitt is going to crash, he finds a way to narrowly disaster. An interesting fact is that the 1968 Mustang Fastback driven by McQueen in the movie was sold at an auction in January 2020 for $3.4 million.
Ken Miles: Ford v Ferrari
Ford v Ferrari tells the true story of race car driver Ken Miles and automotive engineer Shelbey (Matt Damon). Shelbey is brought in by Henry Ford II to build a racecar that will end Ferrari’s dominance in the popular Le Mans competition. Miles, on the other hand, is brought in to race the damn car.
The ability of Miles to maneuver corners is simply breathtaking. At some point, it’s almost unrealistic. It’s like a veteran gamer playing Gran Turismo. Off the track, he is very hotheaded, and this perfectly complements the air of passion surrounding him.
Baby: Baby Driver
In Baby Driver, there’s another Miles whose nickname is Baby. He is the perfect getaway driver who really loves his earphones. Can you blame him? He is a young guy after all. He also relies on the beat of the music to drive properly. And he doesn’t just drive properly. He drives extraordinarily fast.
When he decides to quit his career of ferrying robbers after making enough money to pay off a debt, a criminal mastermind called Doc pulls the not-so-fast card on him. The interaction between the two is amazing. But the most impressive thing about Baby is, no matter what’s bothering his mind, he never loses his cool while driving.
Frank Martin: The Transporter Trilogy
These are the movies that turned Jason Statham into a global superstar. Throughout the three Transporter films, his character Frank Martin drives his Audi like it’s rigged to blow if it slows down. Frank is so skilled that he even manages to drive his car on two wheels in between two trailers.
Though unrealistic, he also manages to use a crane to remove a bomb from underneath his car by rocketing his Audi through it. Oh, come on Frank! And is there a better driver than one who won’t let anyone steal his car? When a group of criminals attempts to carjack him, he basically gives them infinite doses of kung fu until they are unconscious
Niki Lauda: Rush
Rush chronicles the real-life story of formula one legends Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) and James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) in the 70s. Niki is the disciplined family one whereas Hunt is the ultimate bad boy who even sleeps with the nurses who are supposed to be treating him. On the track, the two are equally matched for a while, but eventually, Niki comes out on top.
Even after he gets involved in an accident that leaves his face disfigured, Niki still manages to come back and win more championships. Meanwhile, Hunt retires after only winning one championship that he was lucky in because Niki’s vehicle malfunctioned.
Dominic Toretto: The Fast And Furious Franchise
He’s all about family. And he’s all about driving cars really quickly too. Vin Diesel has always been phenomenal as Dominic Toretto, an outlaw who has a group of reliable friends that he always calls whenever an important mission emerges
Torretto has pulled crazy stunts over the course of the six Fast $ Furious films he has appeared in (he was present in two). He once reversed into a cliff and came out unscathed. You can scratch your head at that. He also literally flew with a billionaire’s supercar in Dubai by speeding from the highest floors of one skyscraper into the other. And who can forget how he won a race while reversing in Fast 8? Dominic easily takes the crown.
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