Who is the Best Movie Driver of the Millennium?

At least once a year, an action-packed car movie thrill ride will hit the theatres. Whether it’s the Fast and the Furious franchise, The Transporter, or Speed Racer, the movie is sure to be chock-full of amazing special effects and impossible stunts that are sure to WOW any viewer. And the main character’s driving (while often times in desperate need of a safe driving course) is always nothing short of extraordinary.

So the other day, I’m watching Fast Five, which by the way is like the greatest movie ever, and my buddy starts telling me about how Randall “Memphis” Raines (Gone in 60 Seconds) would destroy Dom Toretto (Fast and Furious franchise) in a race. Now, obviously my friend is crazy. Dominic Toretto loses to no one unless it’s on purpose.

But that got me thinking. Every single one of these drivers is unbeatable in their own universe (movie). But if we could rip them all from their respective realms and thrust them into some sort of super driving universe, give them all matching cars to keep things fair (Speed Racer, lookin’ at you), and thrust them into some kind of high stakes anything-goes super race, who would cross the checkered flags first?

Without further ado, I introduce our drivers:

The Transporter Franchise – Frank Martin (played by Jason Statham) executes many incredible driving maneuvers, battles many a bigger opponent, and does it all (usually) while protecting/transporting something of value (like a person). Imagine the havoc he would wreak without the job slowing him down.

The Fast and the Furious Franchise – Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) has shown he can drive with the best of them all around the world. From stealing electronics to gasoline to just plain money, Dom is certainly excellent at what he does, and I think you’d be hard-pressed to argue that any of our other drivers could beat him in a fistfight.

Speed Racer – Speed Racer (played by Emile Hirsch in the 2008 film) is the young-gun racecar driver. With a family centered around racing, he certainly has the lineage to be the best. His car (in the series) seems to have endless special contraptions and abilities that make his driving seemingly negligible. Nevertheless, he ALWAYS comes out on top (just like the rest of our drivers). How would he fair?

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000 remake) – Randall “Memphis” Raines (played by Nicolas Cage)was the best car booster (thief) around before he put it all behind him in order to stop leading his younger brother down a similar path. Unfortunately for him, his efforts were in vain, and his younger brother Kip falls in deep with the wrong crowd. In order to save Kip, Randall needs to steal 50 cars. Overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, Randall and his crew steal all 50 in one night, culminating in one epic chase scene. He certainly demonstrated his worth against your average patrol cop, but how would he fare against our fiercer competition? He’s definitely got one thing going for him: if he totals his car, maybe he can steal one from his competitors!

Death Race – Death Race, also starring Jason Statham (as Jensen Ames), is cast in a dark world in which prisoners race for their freedom. It certainly brings “anything goes” to a new level. With armored cars and machine guns, this movie takes driving to the extreme—something that might benefit Ames in this race of the ages!

Drive – Toted by his boss as the best driver ever, Ryan Gosling’s character (never named… we’ll call him “Driver”) is primed to race cars before things go terribly awry. However, he certainly proved his merits in two chases, the first of which even conveyed his clever side(what a way to escape the police at the beginning!). And he can certainly hold his own in a fight.

So there we have it. Six movies. Six drivers. Who do you think reigns supreme?

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