The F-Series Truck Gets its Moment on the Big Screen
The Ford truck is a cornerstone of America, and the best selling vehicle of any kind for decades running. It makes sense that the F-Series would find its way onto the silver screen in various rolls. Here's five celluloid moments featuring Ford trucks.
1. Mad Max II: The Road Warrior
Behold, the modified F-100 of your nightmares. Despite how balls-out crazy they can be, the Mad Max films are essential viewing for any lover of the automobile. Mind you, that has a lot to do with said automobiles getting blown to pieces, but that's all part of the grim spectacle. The F-Series is used to sinister effect in Mad Max II: The Road Warrior, as part of the fleet driven by a roaming band of maniacs. The so-called "Snake Truck" is a memorable presence in the film. All things considered, a "bump side" Ford truck is a realistic choice of vehicle for the post-apocalyptic outback. You can tell the Snake Truck is Australian by the right-hand drive configuration, but it is otherwise identical to the American one. If it ever comes to the point where we're in post-apocalyptic gangs, an F-Series will take you through whatever wacky challenges that may arise.
2. Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is a remarkable character study. Though it's named after a 1972 Gran Torino that features as a plot device, the film's namesake spends most of the time in the garage. On the contrary, Clint Eastwood's daily driver in the movie is a 1972 F-100. His character, Walt Kowalski, is a stern all-American from the old school. That impression is further compounded by the presence of the F-100, which practically screams "Heartland America". While the Gran Torino is the one that gets the glory, the active legwork is left up to the F-Series.
3. Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit was the biggest hit movie of 1977, right after a little sleeper known as Star Wars. Though the iconic Trans Am Pontiac Firebird gets a lot of the accolades, You can't drive from Texarkana, TX to Atlanta, GA without passing literally hundreds of Ford trucks. The film notably features a '76 F-250 to compound the film's rustic scenery in a memorable scene where Bandit's fans help him evade the police.
4. The Blues Brothers
Jake and Elwood Blues are tow of cinema's great comedic anti-heroes. For a comedy, there's an absolute ton of chase sequences and other scenes for car lovers to dig into. One of the most exciting moments is a chase between the Blues Brothers in their Bluesmobile (a now-iconic Dodge Monaco police car) and the owner of Bob's Country Bunker, who they cheated and is out for their blood, or at least $600 in beer money. Bob, like many a good ol' boy, drives a F-series truck.
5. Starsky and Hutch
Anything with a bit of American 1970s nostalgia is bound to have an F-Series pop up at some point or another. Starsky and Hutch used the classic TV show as a foundation for a serviceable action comedy flick with some decent chemistry between the main stars, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. A striking contrast was created between the two characters using vehicles. While city slicker Starsky gets the slick red and white Gran Torino, country boy Hutch has a worn-out F-250 camper. Juxtapositions like this are an example of how vehicles can be used to inform and reinforce characters in movies.
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