Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski further proves he has the need for speed by swapping fighter jets for race cars in this summer’s F1. The blood-pumping action movie stars Brad Pitt as a washed-up racing legend who’s pulled out of retirement to mentor a fiery young rookie (Damson Idris). F1 puts you right in the driver’s seat and promises to be an adrenaline-filled thrill ride.
To honour some of the greatest car movies committed to screen, we’re taking a look at the characters behind the wheel. Whether drifting downtown or outrunning the apocalypse, these intrepid drivers made burning rubber look like an art form. In no particular order, here are 15 of the most iconic drivers in film.
1 ROBERT DE NIRO, TAXI DRIVER (1976)
OK, this one’s a must. De Niro’s unforgettable performance in this Scorsese classic, cruising a razor’s edge between vulnerability and malice, became a blueprint for the cinematic antihero. De Niro’s descent into delirium as Travis Bickle is utterly arresting. The cabbie’s disillusion finds its ultimate expression in De Niro’s famous, and ever quoted, ‘you talkin’ to me’ speech (which wasn’t even in the script, he improvised it). It’s the perfect snapshot of Travis’ unravelling mind, capturing his loneliness, rage and delusion in one tight shot. De Niro followed the Method when preparing for the role, driving an NYC cab for weeks, soaking in the grit of the city and its late-night chaos. The actor ensures that, as much as we’re disturbed by Travis Bickle, we understand him too. Hauntingly layered, he’s socially awkward, painfully isolated, sometimes childlike and yet capable of terrifying violence. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have since teamed up for nine more feature films, and together their award-winning legacy has redefined American cinema, fusing raw psychological depth with realism to create some of the most iconic characters in history – just like Travis Bickle.
2 RYAN GOSLING, DRIVE (2011)
Ryan Gosling turns minimal dialogue into maximum cool in a performance that’s equal parts Steve McQueen and existential loner. With a toothpick in his mouth, gloves on his hands and a thousand-yard stare that could kill, Gosling is captivating as the nameless modern antihero thrust into a violent spiral of betrayal and revenge. Drenched in neon and synth, this brutally poetic tale explores isolation and the cost of loyalty. Silence is Gosling’s weapon: his taciturn intensity creates an aura of mystery and danger that invests you in the noir-tinged narrative. Through his character’s relationship with neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son, Gosling conveys a powerful sense of yearning and renewed hope. Their safety becomes his purpose. While he channels the classic ‘man with no name’ figure, it’s the vulnerable edge Gosling brings to the role that makes his character feel as real as he does mythic.
3 STEVE McQUEEN, BULLITT (1968)
Undeniably one of the top car films, this slow-burn thriller drops you into late-Sixties San Francisco as Lieutenant Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is assigned to protect a mob witness. When the witness is gunned down, Bullitt dives into a manhunt that pits him against crooked politicians, killers and his own department. Stoic, sharp and stylish, McQueen electrifies every scene. Frank Bullitt isn’t flashy or overly talkative. He’s grounded and believable, much like the film’s legendary chase scene. After Bullitt realises he’s being tailed by two hitmen connected to the mob witness, what starts as a placid game of cat-and-mouse turns into a full-blown pursuit through San Francisco’s unforgiving hills. Shot on real streets with McQueen driving himself at real speed, the sequence forgoes soundtrack in favour of the growling roar of engines. To this day, McQueen remains one of the best stunt drivers in movies.
4 GENE HACKMAN, THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
Set in 1970s New York, The French Connection stars Gene Hackman as narcotics detective Jimmy Doyle, who stumbles onto a massive smuggling operation tied to a suave French kingpin. What begins as routine surveillance spirals into a high-stakes dash across continents. Driven more by instinct than justice, Hackman balances charm with abrasiveness and his desperation bleeds through every frame. In a chase sequence that’s a masterclass in chaos and tension, Doyle barrels through Brooklyn in pursuit of a hitman escaping on an elevated subway train after a failed assassination attempt. Shot with handheld cameras in real traffic, the sequence is utterly nerve-wracking and full of missed turns and near collisions.
5 TOM HARDY, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015)
Now for a decidedly more deranged road cop. George Miller’s 2015 revival of the Mad Max franchise saw Tom Hardy step into Max Rockatansky’s dusty, post-apocalyptic boots and make the role his own. Haunted, hardened and half-feral, his Max is a lone survivor with a magnetic presence, rumbling along wastelands in an armoured truck. Every twitch of Hardy’s physicality tells a story of pain and survival. Captured by a warlord’s army and used as a human blood bag, he’s thrust into a high-octane escape led by Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who’s fleeing with the tyrant’s enslaved wives. Though reluctant to join their fight, Max soon rediscovers his purpose alongside them. He’s not just a survivor, but a protector. His haunted expressions and fleeting moments of empathy add emotional weight to an otherwise stoic exterior, and Hardy provides glimpses of the man beneath the madness. In a film defined by motion, Hardy’s Max stands out by how still, broken and resolutely human he is despite the world he faces.
6 VIN DIESEL, FAST 5 (2011)
Did someone say family? Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto sped onto our screens 23 years ago and has been taking things up a gear ever since. What began as a low-fi street-racing movie morphed into a globe-trotting action spectacle fuelled by fast cars, found family and physics-defying stunts. Dom Toretto has been there since day one, shifting from street racer to full-blown action legend in his Dodge Charger. He is the heart and horsepower of the Fast Saga. The only thing deeper than this man’s voice is his code of loyalty. In Fast Five he really levelled things up with one of the series’ most iconic driving sequences: the Rio vault heist. Stealing a drug lord’s fortune, Dom leads his crew and literally rips a giant steel vault out of a police station, dragging it from his bumper through the streets of Rio. The vault becomes both a wrecking ball and a symbol of their rebellion as they weave through traffic, demolish buildings and outmanoeuvre corrupt cops. It’s the perfect blend of heist action and street racing.
7 BURT REYNOLDS, SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977)
It’s hard not to be iconic with a moustache like Reynolds’. He’s on a joyride for the ages in the film, suffusing the screen with pure Southern charm as Bandit, and turning car chases into comedy gold. It’s slapstick on wheels, combining precision driving with rapid-fire humour. Reynolds’ outlaw is racing to smuggle illegal Coors beers across state lines. When he picks up Sally Field’s runaway bride along the way, Bandit triggers a relentless pursuit by the jilted groom’s father Smokey (Jackie Gleason), who happens to be the sheriff. Never self-serious, the driving sequences are shot through with personality. Leading a convoy of cops through a bustling fairground, Reynolds slides through crowds, barely missing carnival rides, while Gleason crashes through everything yelling absurd insults. Bandit just flashes a grin and keeps on gunning it. An American folk hero of sorts, Bandit has a cool, cocky attitude and is everything you’d want from one of cinema’s most iconic drivers.
8 BRAD PITT, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019)
Speaking of cool and cocky, Brad Pitt’s performance as Cliff Booth in the ninth entry to Tarantino’s cinematic canon is charisma incarnate. The film follows ageing, neurotic TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his stuntman-turned-best friend Cliff, as they navigate a shifting Hollywood landscape where the Manson Family and Roman Polanski roam. A war veteran with a mysterious past and lethal skills, Cliff moves through Once Upon a Time with a laid-back attitude, driving Rick around LA after his boss loses his licence (for drink-driving). The mystery that enshrouds Rick’s stunt double is what makes him so compelling. His easygoing exterior hides a toughness, which shines through when he visits the Manson ranch. Sensing something’s off, and circled by a vulturous gang of hippies, Cliff returns to his car to find a slashed tire. Without flinching, he calmly demands it be fixed and, when the perp refuses, floors him with a brutal punch. Sharp, funny and tense, the moment showcases his unspoken dominance. Pitt made stuntmen the new leading men and nabbed an Oscar while doing it. He will soon be reprising the role for a sequel directed by David Fincher, scripted by Tarantino.
9 ADAM DRIVER, PATERSON (2016)
If Pitt’s Cliff Booth personifies charisma, then Adam Driver’s Paterson embodies serenity. Playing a bus-driving poet in a small New Jersey town, Driver is beautifully understated, rooted in stillness, rhythm and routine. The drama follows a week in the life of Paterson, who writes in a secret notebook when he finds himself inspired by the everyday world around him. It’s not explosive action or stunts that makes this driver so iconic, but rather the way his calm presence pulls you into a world where the mundane becomes meaningful. Though his life might seem uneventful, his quiet observations and creative inner world reveal how profound the ordinary can be. No high-speed chases, no big monologues – just a man, his words and a deep appreciation for life in motion, whether it’s driving his route, walking his dog or sharing simple moments with his eccentric and creative wife (Golshifteh Farahani).
10 HIDETOSHI NISHIJIMA & TOKO MIURA, DRIVE MY CAR (2021)
As theatre director Yusuke Kafuku, Hidetoshi Nishijima delivers a performance of profound restraint and stifled heartbreak. Adapted from Haruki Murakami’s eponymous short story, the film follows Yusuke grappling with the death of his wife and unresolved secrets as he travels to Hiroshima to direct a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya. Assigned a chauffeur (Tôko Miura) to drive his beloved red Saab, Yusuke gradually forms an unexpected bond with her – they both silently process past traumas on the road. Filled with grief, betrayal, memory and the weight of unspoken words, their drives are acts of meditation where silence carries more meaning than dialogue. The film uses silence, space and Chekhov to explore how we live with loss and begin to move forward, and the car is repeatedly transformed into both a confessional and a stage.
11 CHRISTIAN BALE, FORD v FERRARI (2019)
James Mangold directs this historical racing drama, which depicts Ford’s 1966 win at Le Mans, shattering Ferrari’s dominance. Christian Bale stars as British racing legend Ken Miles, a brilliant but temperamental man with zero patience for politics and a deep love for the craft of driving. The film shows Miles deeply involved in the development of Ford’s GT40 vehicle – tuning engines, shaping aerodynamics and translating every vibration on the track into feedback for the pit crew. You believe Ken Miles doesn’t just drive cars, but speaks their language as he obsesses over every gear and curve to make them faster. Above all, it's the way Bale plays Miles as a devoted father and husband that really gives Ford v Ferrari its emotional backbone and makes the high-speed stakes personal. Bale gives this movie – about machines, speed and competition – soul. His performance is a stunning tribute to one of our greatest drivers.
12 TOM CRUISE, DAYS OF THUNDER (1990)
Shortly after flying fighter jets in Top Gun (1986), Tom Cruise was tearing up the NASCAR track as Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder. Under the guidance of a grizzled crew chief, Cole learns that raw talent isn’t enough. Thrown into a world he doesn’t fully understand, he crashes hard – literally and figuratively – and is forced to rebuild not just his car, but himself. With the help and steady support of a no-nonsense neurologist (Nicole Kidman), Cole evolves from an impulsive daredevil into a disciplined, strategic driver. Cruise did all his own driving and owned the asphalt during the high-octane stunts, further setting himself up to become the hands-on action star we know today. With his next film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on the horizon, Cruise is still pushing the boundaries of movie stunts 35 years later.
13 KANEDA, AKIRA (1988)
In a post-apocalyptic Tokyo that’s only one bad day from total collapse, teenage biker Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) battles psychic meltdowns, government secrets and his explosively unstable best friend in this neon-drenched dystopia. Akira’s vision of Tokyo, which was rebuilt after being levelled by a mysterious explosion, teems with biker gangs and political unrest. When his friend gains uncontrollable psychic powers, spiralling into madness and godhood, Kaneda races against time to stop him. Through it all, Kaneda cements himself as the ultimate cyberpunk hero. He’s not a chosen one or a superpowered saviour, just a street kid with guts. Skidding his red bike sideways in a perfect arc across the asphalt, Kaneda coined the ‘Akira slide’, which has been endlessly imitated in everything from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) Nope (2022). The slide has become a visual shorthand for badass rebellion.
14 SANDRA BULLOCK, SPEED (1994)
A reluctant driver but nevertheless iconic, Sandra Bullock takes everyday LA woman Annie Porter from civilian to action star when the driver is shot on a bus rigged to explode if it drops below 50mph. Keeping the bus flying through traffic with a mix of panic and pure adrenaline, Annie becomes the film’s unlikely hero, while bomb-squad cop Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) tries to defuse the situation. Stealing the spotlight and delivering sharp one-liners, Bullock has a charm and steely determination that makes Annie instantly lovable and totally believable. Each sequence is tightly choreographed, absurdly tense and gloriously over-the-top, elevating Speed into a masterclass in escalating, high-concept action. Whether it’s Jack leaping onto the speeding bus from a moving car or the bus jumping over a 50-foot gap in an unfinished freeway, every stunt cranks up the tension.
15 GEENA DAVIS & SUSAN SARANDON, THELMA & LOUISE (1991)
Two women, hand in hand, gunning their convertible off a canyon’s edge – could there be a more impactful final image? Bonded in freedom and fury, this ride-or-die duo transformed themselves into outlaws fleeing an oppressive and institutionally sexist world of abusive men. The pair set out for a weekend getaway only to end up on the run after Louise (Susan Sarandon) shoots a man who tries to assault Thelma (Geena Davis). Eventually cornered at the Grand Canyon, with nowhere left to run, they choose defiance over surrender, soaring into legend rather than returning to cages. As a final freeze-frame it’s not just a cliff dive – it’s a bold, symbolic leap into liberation, forever etched into film history as a moment of tragic triumph and unbreakable sisterhood.
