Back in 2012, DreamWorks Studios was tapped to create a film version of the ‘Need for Speed‘ video games. Likely encouraged by the $625 million box office results of ‘Fast Five‘ the previous year, there seemed to be a demand for street racing movies. Aaron Paul was cast in the lead, fresh of his success of his hit TV show ‘Breaking Bad‘. Additional cast included lovely Imogen Poots, quirky Rami Malek, and ’80s Batman himself, Michael Keaton.
Unlike the F&F movies ‘Need for Speed‘ was a throwback the ’70s style of car cinema—real cars, real stunts, and no CGI malarkey. When something crashes, it actually crashes. With vehicles like the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, McLaren P1, and ultra-rare Spania GTA Spano these wrecks were something never filmed seen.
Koenigsegg Agera R
Stealing the limelight early on, not once, but three times, the Koenigsegg Agera R sets the movie’s revenge plot line in motion with a fatal crash that sees the total destruction of one of three US-owned examples.
Engine: 5.0 L Twin-Turbo V-8
Horsepower: 940 HP
0-60 MPH: 3.1 seconds
Top Speed: 260 MPH
Saleen S7
Powered by a Ford 7.0L twin-turbo monster, the Saleen S7 was an exclusive American supercar produced from 2000 to 2009. It appears all too briefly in the movie, during the ‘final race’ when it came to a premature end in a collision with a law enforcement SUV.
Engine: Ford 427 7.0 Liter V-8
Horsepower: 550 HP
0-60 MPH: 3.1 seconds
Top Speed: 199 MPH
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
At the time the movie was shot, the $2.4 Million Bugatti was the fastest production car on the planet, and nothing could keep up with it. But to keep the film grounded in reality, the ‘big race’ isn’t a straight line course, so lighter more agile cars had an advantage.
Engine: 8.0 Liter Quad-Turbocharged W-16
Horsepower: 1200 HP
0-60 MPH: 2.46 seconds
Top Speed: 268 MPH
Even with a production budget of $66 Million wrecking supercars was not an option, so the filmmakers used Chevy V8 engines bolted to kit-car chassis with fiberglass body shells to approximate the priceless originals. In those big race scenes, and endless crashes, everything looks authentic. And there’s a gritty realism to ‘Need for Speed‘ that reminds some viewers of ‘Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry‘ but much like that Peter Fonda snooze-fest, there are no likeable characters in this film!
Protagonist Tobey (Aaron Paul) is fresh out of jail, for causing the death of a friend in a street race. He immediately joins a cross-country race in a Mustang GT500 to exact revenge on the ex-partner that framed him. Meanwhile, there’s a pretty blonde in the passenger seat slowly falling for him, while Batman narrates and live-streams the race. Who writes this crap?
The only redeeming moments in the film are during the race scenes when the camera switches to first-person view from the driver’s seat, just like the game. Every time the director switches to this shot, he pushes the figurative NOS button and gives the viewer a thrill.
The film was an attempt to be a more realistic version of F&F but the director forgot to make it fun! Despite A-list actors, incredible cars and wild crashes ‘Need for Speed‘ was a flop at the box office. Why? Because it’s not about the cars—as Dom Toretto says—it’s about who’s behind the wheel.