2012 Film Olympics: I feel the need... for speed

Posted Monday, August 6, 2012 at 4:52 PM Central
Last updated Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 4:47 PM Central

by John Couture

This wonderfully overused quote from Tom Cruise's Maverick from Top Gun sets the mood precisely for the aftermath of last night's Men's 100 Meter Dash at the Olympics.

The race winner, traditionally dubbed as "the world's fastest man," gets four years worth of bragging rights over every other human on the planet. That's pretty heady stuff if you ask me.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt is indeed fast. Not only did he win the race four years again in Beijing, but he successfully defended his title last night. That's right, he gets 8 years of being the world's fastest man.

On the film side, there are plenty examples in which speed is showcased on the big screen. Naturally, speed comes into play in sports, but beyond that as the top above proves, speed can come in all shapes and sizes.

Enough of my blabbering, it's time for the medal winners.

BRONZE

Instead of opting for the obvious Tom Cruise movie, I went with Days of Thunder. I hate NASCAR, but I have a guilty pleasure in this film about stock car racing.

I think it has to do with Michael Rooker. I would watch that man act while paint dried in the background. The film isn't even that impressive, but it's all about speed, whether it's in a race car or a wheel chair.

SILVER

The young gun made a distinct impression with the judges. Drive is just one of those movies that stick with you long after the credits roll.

Personally, I like how his day job and his extracurricular activities all involve driving real fast. That and I can actually stand Ryan Gosling in this and that says alot!

GOLD

Bullitt is the top movie when it comes to car chases and it combines speed and finesse into a great package. It doesn't hurt that all of the chase scenes were shot in San Francisco adding to the mystique of this film. Steve McQueen was the epitome of speed and cool and he delivers in this, his iconic film.

How much does speed play into this film? Well, Ford Motor Company actually created an iconic Bullitt version of their Mustang a few years ago. That's all I need to know for the gold medal.

The updated medal count shows that the top three or four films are separating themselves just a bit.

Make sure you come back tomorrow when we dig into a few conspiracy theories.