The 25 best road movies to drive you mad (with excitement)

15. True Romance (1993)

The Movie: Words by Tarantino; pictures by Tony Scott. The road movie at its most self-consciously cool, as Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette go on the lam in a blizzard of sex, drugs, and kung fu movie references.

How To Recreate It: Try to impress a hooker into driving off into the sunset with you by regaling her with your in-depth knowledge of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Note: this won't work. Note 2: don't do this.

14. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

The Movie: Two horny teenagers (Gael Garca Bernal, Diego Luna) persuade hot older woman Maribel Verdu to accompany them to a fictional beach. Meanwhile, the voiceover of Alfonso Cuaron's Mexican movie notes all of the poverty the trio is ignoring.

How To Recreate It: Next time you suggest taking your date to Southend-On-Sea, stick Jon Snow in the back seat to provide a running commentary.

13. Mad Max (2015)

The Movie: Tom Hardy’s Mad Max cameos in a movie about Charlize Theron’s Furiosa rescuing concubines from a despot, via the medium of crashing cars in a desert and looking grumpy.

How To Recreate It: Drive somewhere bleak and stare at the horizon stoically in silhouette, while covered in dust and regret.

12. The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (1994)

The Movie: Three drag queens (Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, and Guy Pearce) leave Sydney for a gig in Alice Springs aboard tour bus 'Priscilla'.

How To Recreate It: Transform your backpacking adventure by boarding the Oz Experience in a wig.

11. Badlands (1973)

The Movie: Terrence Malick's lyrical debut is an ironic eulogy to the open road in the company of a sociopathic killer (Martin Sheen) and his naive girlfriend (Sissy Spacek).

How To Recreate It: Best to do this one without the murdering, and simply take the missus for a drive without her father's permission. Worry about the payback later.

10. The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

The Movie: Judy Garland swaps Kansas' monochrome dustbowl for Oz's Technicolor infrastructure, where the roads are yellow and made of brick.

How To Recreate It: Head to Disneyland, get very drunk, try not to assault Goofy.

09. Midnight Run (1988)

The Movie: The ultimate foul-mouthed, mismatched-buddies on-the-road comedy, as bounty hunter Robert De Niro finds that getting mob-thieving accountant Charles Grodin back to L.A. is going to take longer than a 'midnight run'.

How To Recreate It: Attempt a citizen's arrest on a fugitive, and drag 'em back to the local police station on a local bus. Again: please do not do this.

08. Thelma And Louise (1991)

The Movie: Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon's girls' night out turns into a 'feminists on the lam' adventure in Ridley Scott's classic.

How To Recreate It: Weekend away with your girlfriends. Drink loads. Please do not drive.

07. It Happened One Night (1934)

The Movie: Claudette Colbert is rich and on the run. Clark Gable's the reporter after a scoop. Their journey together is the original comedy road movie, and still one of the genre's gold standards.

How To Recreate It: Frank Capra's film was made during the Great Depression, and frankly things aren't much better now. We'll all be sharing travel plans soon.

06. Duel (1971)

The Movie: Steven Spielberg's made-for-TV thriller about an everyman driver (Dennis Weaver) inexplicably hounded by a Peterbilt tanker truck was so nerve-wracking it was upgraded to a cinema release.

How To Recreate It: Cut up any truck driver (with your car - don't actually cut them up), on any road, and you'll soon 'enjoy' your very own remake of Duel. Please don't do this.

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