Cars and movies naturally go together like Abbott and Costello, Rum and Coke, peanut butter and jelly! No! We are not talking about going to the drive-in and fogging up the windows! We are talking about Muscle Car Movies! Watershed films of steroid pumped, big inch, bias-ply tire melting, road iron and those crazy car jockeys that drive them. Epic sagas of drama and pathos that tell the stories of these men and machines get into (and out of) 90 minutes (give or take) of high energy, adrenaline pumping, action adventure. Having seen many of these movies a couple of times each, by now, we at Leland West Insurance have come up with a completely subjective list of the top three best. We poled no one. We didn't read any other lists, we didn't ask "movie people" what they thought from a cinematic stand point, we simply listed the car movies that we at Leland West Insurance have watched to the end, liked and though were awesome. Ok, maybe a pencil and paper - but that's it! So without further ceremony, we give you the best movies about muscle cars as picked by one muscle car crazed gearhead with a remote, a big TV, a couch, some chips and a drink...
Number Three is "The Road Warrior" directed by George Miller. The hero car is a '73 Ford Falcon Coupe. It edges out the first film in the series, "Mad Max", as a better film because the hero has less to say and is really over the top agro nuts! Mel has to paint his face blue and scream his throat raw before he matches this level of aggression in character again! In this sequel, the world has really gone to the dogs and there is way more car action stuff to prove how off the charts things have gotten. Most of the dialogue is Aussie so you really don't understand much and who needs dialog in a car film anyway...dumb.
Number Two is the '68 classic, "Bullit" directed by Peter Yates. Where to start? Ah yes, two words... Steve McQueen. Enough said...well maybe not. We also get a young Jacqueline Bisset (in her prime no less, before she went scuba diving with Nick Nolte). The definitive movie car chase is in Bullit - period. Even if the Charger grows new hubcaps (as old ones fly off) more often than Jaws grows teeth or Steve-o up-shifting the Mustang so much that he should have more gears than a rock quarry dump truck, but now you're just being picky, picky, picky! Watch the film!
And The Number One, the best of the best, is "Vanishing Point", directed by Richard Sarafian. The hero car is a '70 Challenger R/T. The story centers on "Kowalski" who, for no good reason, needs to get from Denver to San Fran in less than 15 hours. My belief is he left most of his amphetamines in the nightstand back in his California apartment and his mother was due over to clean the place. Here's some trivia for you. The Dodge Challenger R/T had a 440 V-8 and not a 426 Hemi (as is often touted). Eight of them were loaned by Chrysler and used during the filming.
So there you have it! Our top three picks for best muscle car movie. Don't say we didn't warn you. Now go get some chips and dip of your own and watch these movies!!!
