8 Road Trip Movies Every Traveler Needs To Watch
Driving on a truly exhilarating road is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some people. The adrenaline rush is definitely something any driver can crave. Yet, anyone can enjoy the magic of dangerous roads and cars at any time by putting on these great movies and embracing the emotions. Films about long journeys on the open road have always made for vital cinema.
1. The Wages of Fear (1953)
This hugely influential French-Italian thriller combines thrilling mountain roads with dangerous cargo and a race against time. It follows a group of men who need to carry highly explosive nitroglycerine across the mountains to put out a fire at an oil well.
The trucks need to teeter across precipices and cross incredibly rough sections of road to reach their destination. Once they arrive, driving across a crater filled with oil provides them with one final challenge. The action is set in Central America; however, it was filmed in the Camargue region, in the South of France. It was re-made in 1977 as the English language Sorcerer, featuring a terrifying scene with a truck crossing a precarious bridge in the Dominican Republic.
2. Easy Rider (1969)
Directed by Dennis Hopper, who also starred alongside Peter Fonda, this is perhaps the most iconic road trip in cinematic history. The legendary image of the two bikers riding their motorcycles on a cross-country expedition is both an illuminating and terrifying look at America.
On their freewheeling trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans, they find a country split between the stuffy establishment and a younger generation starving for change. Captured with a low budget and featuring a soundtrack with Jimi Hendrix and The Byrds, the film became a cult classic that defined the spirit of the sixties counterculture and the radical demand for freedom.
3. Duel (1971)
This was the first full-length movie directed by Steven Spielberg. It shows a businessman driving his Plymouth Valiant through the Mojave Desert on his way home. During the journey, he encounters a mysterious tanker truck that pursues him relentlessly for the rest of the film.
Spielberg pointed out that the sparse dialogue and the fact that we never see the truck driver makes it seem as though the rivalry is between the vehicles rather than the humans. It was filmed in California, in places such as Agua Dulce and Acton. If you drive the Sierra Highway today, you can still see some of the movie’s iconic landmarks, like the tunnel and the railroad crossing.
4. Vanishing Point (1971)
If you love the desert roads of the American West, this is the ultimate cult movie. It follows Kowalski, a delivery driver who bets he can drive a white 1970 Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in just 15 hours.
The film is essentially one long, high-speed chase across the spectacular landscapes of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. It captures the beauty of the open desert and the sense of absolute freedom (and danger) that comes with high-speed driving on remote highways. It is a true masterpiece for anyone obsessed with the "open road" culture.
5. Christine (1983)
In this case, it is the car rather than the road that is the danger. Based on the Stephen King novel and directed by John Carpenter, the film shows what happens when a vehicle with a mind of its own gets jealous. Christine is a 1958 Plymouth Fury that develops a murderous obsession with its owner.
While most of the action takes place in the claustrophobic city streets of Los Angeles rather than scenic highways, the film remains a classic thriller that explores the dark side of our obsession with cars.
6. Thelma & Louise (1991)
Directed by Ridley Scott, this iconic movie keeps getting better with each passing year. A rarity for its time, it’s a “buddy” adventure movie starring two women (played by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis) embarking on an epic road trip in a 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible.
The film captures the stunning landscapes of the American Southwest. Although the plot takes them toward Mexico, the famous final scenes were shot at Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah, standing in for the Grand Canyon. It’s a powerful story of friendship and the desire to escape the ordinary.
7. The Transporter (2002)
Jason Statham plays Frank Martin, an expert driver who will take any package anywhere with no questions asked. It is an over-the-top action film with exciting driving sequences along the beautiful French Riviera.
The car chases take place in Nice and Paris, showing off high-speed prowess in tight European streets. One of the most memorable moments involves the hero skydiving onto a convoy of trucks on the D9 highway outside of Marseille. This film’s success led to a spin-off TV series and several sequels, cementing Statham's status as a top action star.
8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The title suggests plenty of on-road action, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. The entire movie is essentially one continuous, high-octane car battle across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Max and Furiosa take on a cult leader and his gang using an array of incredible, custom-built vehicles.
To capture the bleak desert setting, the production moved to the Namib Desert in Africa. Most impressively, the majority of the stunts were performed by real drivers and vehicles without the use of CGI, making the high-speed crashes and maneuvers feel terrifyingly real.