It almost feels as though people are getting a little bored when lists such as this start popping up since announcing Vin Diesel as the #1 most dangerous driver in action movies is right up there with announcing that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be the person most fit to lead in the event of an alien invasion. But counting how many cars a person has wrecked in action movies, taking care to find out how many cars a person was actually in, and then compiling that list sounds like the work of someone that is incredibly bored and has nothing better to do. It’s not the worst way to spend your time really, but it’s one that brings up a few interesting statistics since wrecking 60 cars or more in the course of a career might make a person whistle in appreciation or simply because it’s difficult to imagine wrecking so many vehicles over the course of so many years. Apparently several action stars have managed to wreck quite a few vehicles in that time, which one might think would cost a huge portion of the budget. Taking a look at the kind of cars that are used for various crashes and stunts it’s enough to make a person’s heart stop when they figure out how much each car is worth.
That’s why delving a little deeper into the trick is a good idea, since thinking that anyone would intentionally damage cars that are worth millions of dollars is enough to get one thinking that those in the movie business must be throwing money around left and right. There are a few tricks that can be used when it would appear that the movie is about to trash one or more high-dollar automobiles or various other modes of transportation that would be too expensive to even think about using on the set. Vin Diesel has used several cars that were either fitted with expensive-looking shells that were made to resemble the actual car that would sell for hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. In this manner, it becomes a lot easier and more cost-effective to start wrecking cars as much as one needs to for a movie, especially since action movies tend to trade in damage more often than not. People love watching wrecks on the big screen and when it has something to do with one of their favorite action stars it’s even better since it takes on a new level thanks to their emotional investment.
This kind of thing does make a person wonder if Vin Diesel knows how to do any of the maneuvers that are shown in his movies or if he just makes it look good. The answer to this is that he does in fact do a lot of his own action scenes, with stuntmen there on the set to give their expertise and in some cases to take over. But the fact is that Diesel is another of those individuals that want everything to look as authentic as possible, which means that he’s all about getting in there and getting dirty from time to time. That’s pretty impressive really and might actually add to the danger factor that has elevated him to the top of the list of dangerous drivers in Hollywood. It’s likely that he’s as safe as can be when off the set, but when it’s time to work he’s all about that action and making certain that it looks every bit as impressive as it needs to. That’s been more than evident throughout the Fast & Furious franchise since even with the more fantastic and impossible stunts that have been performed, Diesel has made the more practical stunts look amazing and his driving skills are on display even if it’s in a controlled situation that has every dangerous element minimized as much as possible to get the shot.
It’s bound to happen that one of these days that someone will top Vin, but at the moment it’s kind of impressive to think that he’s been in this many movies and has wrecked this many cars and is still able to keep going since he’s had a heck of a stunt team at his beck and call and a great deal of support when making certain that everything is executed correctly and with as few risks as possible. When it comes to car stunts on a movie set there’s almost never going to be a 100 percent chance of not risking anything, but with the right team and the proper care, it’s easy to think that the risks will be minimized as much as possible and will be acceptable. That kind of sounds like a negation of the most dangerous driver title, but the truth is that it’s the mark of someone that’s been able to take on the task of destroying that many vehicles in a responsible and safe manner. Yeah, it still sounds kind of awkward.
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