Car Fetish Movies

[Matt]

I'm talking about movies where the plot (and characters) are possibly secondary to the fact that there are CARS on the screen.

The movie may have been created for the sole purpose of putting a specific car on the screen...it may have been created with the idea of having one or two car spectacular car chases...it may have been created to worhips the driving skills of the main character.

'Vanishing Point'
'Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry'
'The Driver'
'Gone in 60 Seconds' (both versions)

Debatable inclusions:
'Mad Max'
'Mad Max 2/The Road Warrior'
'Ronin'
'Bullitt'
'The Seven-Ups'
'American Graffiti'

Would these movies work if you took the CAR element out of them?

[Shit Dickface]

Glaring lack of Gone In 60 Seconds up in this piece. The original, obviously.

EDIT: NEVERMIND, GOOD CATCH.

[Matt]

you'll notice that I went back and added it after submitting the thread, Jake. Realized my omission right away. And both versions would definitely qualify.

[Shit Dickface]

I almost want to say Fast and the Furious, too, but that ended up being a Vin Diesel vehicle (hyuk!) and focused more on car culture than the specific cars.

[Shit Dickface]

OOH OOH AND TWO-LANE BLACKTOP

[Ed Hocken]

If you took the car element out of Mad Max. You'd have a western.

[V]

All three in-'car'-nations of The Transporter?

[Matt]

'Vanishing Point' (original version) is one of my favorite films. The Viggo Mortenson remake from 1997 isn't terrible, but the plot of the original film has been updated to fit the late 90s and doesn't really work.

The pearl white Dodge Challenger is a character in the film. It gets loving, fetishistic shots throughout the entire runtime of the film and forms a deep connection with the viewer. The story of Kowalski and Super Soul is interesting and provides an interesting commentary on the values of the late 60s/early 70s culture, but it's entirely secondary to the fact that you're essentially watching an extended car chase.

[Shit Dickface]

All three in-'car'-nations of The Transporter?

Yeah, what all were they again? First was BMW, second was Audi, third was ?

Also it'd be a little too obvious to include advertisements, but the Driver BMW shorts with Clive Owen were pretty cool considering they were ads.

[Chris Miller]

Christine?

[Matt]

Christine?

absolutely. The main character develops a relationship with the car to the point where they both get protective and jealous.

[Matt]

Is being a 'car junkie' necessary to enjoying these films?

[Ed Hocken]

I don't think so. There are other subjects at hand then just the car.

Whether it would be things like freedom, lust, or just really bitchin action.

[Timothy225]

What about lighter fare, like Smokey and the Bandit, as well as the Cannonball Run? (I'm focusing on the originals, as the sequels were for shit.)

Also to follow Christine, we can't forget Duel or The Car.

[Matt]

Duh, can't believe I forgot about 'Smokey and the Bandit' and 'Cannonball Run' (or even 'the Gumball Rally').

SatB, in particular, develops the car as a character within the film itself. You think of the movie, you think of the black Trans-Am and the mustache.