‘Speed Racer’ zooms down the long road of race car movies

Andy and Larry Wachowski have followed up their successful “Matrix” trilogy with “Speed Racer,” a colorful, cotton-candy family film opening Friday. Based on the late-1960s Japanese anime series, the film stars Emile Hirsch of “Into the Wild” as Speed, a young racer who wants to win the Crucible, the annual cross-country auto race that had killed his older brother (Scott Porter).

“Speed Racer” is the latest variation in a long tradition of car race movies. So start your engines and put on your seat belts for this look at full-throttle flicks of the past and the not-so-distant present.

“Cars” (2006)

The directors: John Lasseter and Joe Ranft

The stars: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy and Bonnie Hunt

The race: Stock car

The plot: The Pixar/Disney animated hit revolves around a brilliant but arrogant rookie race car named Lightning McQueen. While traveling to the next race down Interstate 40 in California, McQueen becomes separated from his transportation truck and gets lost on Route 66. Eventually he ends up at a forgotten town called Radiator Springs, where he gains perspective on his life and career.

The results: The box-office hit, which was critically acclaimed and nominated for an Academy Award, has a lot of heart while capturing the fun and excitement of stock car races.

Trivia: The movie is dedicated to Ranft who died in a car crash in 2005. “Cars” is also the legendary Newman’s last film. He announced his retirement last year at the age of 82.

“Days of Thunder” (1990)

The director: Tony Scott

The stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid and Cary Elwes.

The race: NASCAR

The plot: Cruise plays Cole Trickle, a talented rookie racer trying to win on the NASCAR circuit. Duvall plays his mentor and mechanic. Kidman is a young brain surgeon who falls for Trickle. The film was loosely based on the life of NASCAR’s Tim Richmond and crew chief Harry Hyde.

The results: Directed by Scott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, “Days of Thunder” is certainly loud and glossy. Dramatically, “Days of Thunder” is a wipeout. And critics took umbrage over the fact that Kidman was all of 22 when she was playing the role of a brain surgeon!

Trivia: Former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson plays the president of NASCAR

“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006)

The director: Adam McKay

The stars: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole

The race: NASCAR

The plot: Follows the career of Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) who was born in the back seat of his daddy’s Chevelle and becomes a hot shot NASCAR racer. But his life goes into a tailspin when he’s challenged by the gay French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Baron Cohen), who outperforms Ricky on the track to become the top NASCAR driver.

The results: Hilarious. An added plus is the location shooting at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama and Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Trivia: “Talladega” is the second in Ferrell and McKay’s as-yet-unfinished “Mediocre American Man” trilogy.

“Grand Prix” (1966)

The director: John Frankenheimer

The stars: James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Toshiro Mifune, Brian Bedford and Jessica Walter.

The race: A nine-race competition for the World Championship of Drivers

The cars: Supposedly they were Formula One cars, but actually were Formula Three cars made up to look like Formula Ones

The plot: Explores the lives and loves of international race car drivers set against the backdrop of the Grand Prix races in such picturesque locales as Monaco, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany and the U.S.

The results: Shot in Cinerama, Frankenheimer beautifully captures the atmosphere, thrills, chills and dangers of the races. His use of the split screen only adds to this thrill ride. It won three technical Oscars. Dramatically, though, the film is pure, unadulterated soap opera.

Trivia: Montand spun out during one of the race sequences and was afraid to drive fast again. So the crew had the race car towed by a Ford GT40 that would reach speeds of 130 mph.

“Le Mans” (1971)

The director: Lee H. Katzin

The star: Steve McQueen

The race: A look at the endurance race in Le Mans, France, that spans 24 hours on a 9-mile circuit of closed country road. Every few hours the car’s two drivers alternate.

The plot: McQueen plays Michael Delaney, an American racer who the year before at Le Mans had been involved in an accent that killed a famous Swiss driver. He returns this year to race for the Porsche team. His biggest competition comes from a German racer (Siegfried Rauch) who drives for the Ferrari team.

The results: Shot on location in Le Mans in 1970, the film excels in its depiction of the race, and having auto race fanatic McQueen as the star helps the film’s authenticity. Dramatically, however, the film falters badly. The reviews were negative, with Time magazine referring to as “petite prix.”

Trivia: English driver David Piper is given special thanks during the film’s end credits for “his sacrifice.” The stunt driver had lost his leg when he crashed his car during a stunt.

“The Fast and the Furious” (2001)

The director: Rob Cohen

The stars: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster

The race: Street racing

The plot: Walker plays a hunky undercover cop infiltrating a street racing gang in Los Angeles headed up by the charismatic Diesel.

The results: Exhilarating race sequences almost make up for the pumped-up soundtrack and derivative story. The film spawned two sequels and video games.

Trivia: The film is known as “Wild Speed” in Japan.

“The Love Bug” (1968)

The director: Robert Stevenson

The stars: Dean Jones, Michele Lee, David Tomlinson and Buddy Hackett

The race: Sports Car Club of America National Championship

The plot: Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, becomes a championship race car.

The results: The film was an enormous success for Disney – it was the box-office champ of the year – and has spawned four theatrical sequels – the latest was the disappointing 2005 Lindsay Lohan vehicle, “Herbie Fully Loaded.”

Trivia: Carey Loftin supervised the driving sequences. In 1971, he played – billed as Cary Loftin – the unseen evil truck driver in Steven Spielberg’s landmark TV movie, “Duel.”

“Eat My Dust! (1976)

The director: Charles B. Griffith

The stars: Ron Howard, Christopher Norris, Dave Madden

The race: Joy rides in stock cars

The plot: Howard plays the son of a rural California sheriff. He likes fast women and even faster cars, and he loves to steal stock cars for his riding pleasure, much to the chagrin of the authorities who inevitably lose their high-speed pursuits of the teenager.

The results: Fast-paced lowbrow humor that struck a chord with young audiences, making it one of the most profitable films for Roger Corman’s New World Pictures.

Trivia: After doing “Eat My Dust,” Corman gave Howard the opportunity to direct his first film, 1977’s “Grand Theft Auto.”

“Death Race 2000” (1975)

The director: Paul Bartel

Stars: David Carradine, Sylvester Stallone

The race: A transcontinental road race

The plot: Set in the year 2000, the black comedy finds the United States called the United Provinces after America was destroyed by a financial crisis and taken over by a military junta. In order to keep the citizens happy, the rulers have a series of vicious gladiatorial entertainments, including the ruthless Transcontinental Road Race. Carradine plays Frankenstein, the most famous racer, who is reputed to be part machine.

The results: A cult hit! A sequel comic book called “Death Race 2020” was published in 1995. Paul W.S. Anderson has directed a remake called “Death Race” with Jason Statham due out later this year.

Trivia: Not only does a pre-“Rocky” Stallone have a costarring role in the film, the cast also features directors Bartel, John Landis and Lewis Teague.

“The Great Race” (1965)

The director: Blake Edwards

The stars: Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood

The race: First international auto race in 1908

The plot: In this highly fictionalized, slapstick look at the race, Curtis plays the handsome and perfect daredevil, the Great Leslie, who convinces a car company to sponsor him in the New York-to-Paris road race in order to promote their new car. Lemmon plays his dastardly nemesis, Professor Fate, who builds his own car for the race. Wood plays a curvy journalist who also enters the race.

The results: The lengthy, expensive production was a hit with neither critics nor audiences, but it has developed a cult following over the years. The film won an Oscar for best sound effects.

Trivia: “The Great Race” boasts the largest pie fight put on film. After the sequence was shot, the crew feasted on the 300 leftover pies.

 susan.king@latimes.com