It's been out a while now, so there's a reasonable chance that you may have watched Michael Bay's latest explosion-fest, 6 Underground, on Netflix. I watched it over the weekend and, although I'd heard about the crazy car chase at the beginning it didn't quite prepare me for the 20 minute bat-sh*t crazy concoction of testosterone and twisted metal which followed. I say this in a good way.
Being a petrol-head, I was paying close attention to the vehicles (as they were systematically destroyed) and afterwards I felt the need to look in more detail and what was used. So, with a bit of patience and some screen grabbing, here we go: (some of) the cars and motorcycles used in 6 Underground.
Let's get the obvious one out of the way first: the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, used by our heroes for the chase. If I say that it's a terrible choice it isn't because it's a bad car (because it's not), it's because it's hardly inconspicuous is it? Dubious colour choice aside, it could almost join the ranks of things like the BMW M5 or Audi S6 for the kind of job they're on: four doors, decent storage, relatively subtle and very fast. Mixing practicality with performance and the ability to be lost in a crowd is surely key here. Either way, it's rocking a 2.9L BiTurbo V6, producing 503hp and a 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds. Rapid.
For most of the chase I spotted that the bad guys were all driving German cars: mostly plain and de-badgedMercedes, BMWs and Audis. There's even a VW at one point, before it gets smashed in two. I wondered if there was some subconscious commentary going on here, since our heroes are driving an Italian car in Italy and Hollywood loves the bad guys being German (almost of much as being English, but no-one's gonna take a bunch of henchmen driving Metros seriously).
Then, out of the blue, a bad-guy Maserati Quattroporte pops up and balance is restored. A little later on some all-black American looking SUVs arrive too.
Most surprising (and jarring) of all though is the car full of bad guys who join the fight in a bright orange Subari STI. Almost every other antagonist car is black or blue. Maybe all the "company cars" were already deployed from Bad Guy HQ, so they had to take someone's personal car. If he wasn't killed, he'll be furious, because it gets utterly destroyed.
A shout out to the two motorcycles I saw, both Triumph Speed Triples (although the one which one of the good guys uses momentarily in the film looks heavily modified). The other is piloted by a henchman, in cliche baddie all-black, which doesn't last long before it's smashed to pieces rather spectacularly.
What else? Well, there's the completely superficial and unnecessary placement of a Rolls-Royce Ghost used, in a flashback, by the team's ex-CIA agent. This is moments before the head villain's brother is forcefully taken from his Lamborghini Urus (seen only fleetingly), flanked by a gaggle of Range Rovers.
The main villain also loves a Range Rover, as seen in his convoy making its way to his yacht towards the end of the film.
Our heroes are seen briefly using a BMW 730LI but my favourite other car appearance has to be the ridiculous Ferrari 488 Pista: the most impractical car ever used to deliver two armed assailants to a job. As if a standard 488 wasn't going to be good enough, they've gone for the limited edition Italian rocket. Only 3,500 were made for a price of £252,000 each (before options). Sure, 711bhp and 0-62 in 2.9 seconds would be useful in getting away from the scene of a crime quickly, but it's hardly discrete (see also: bright green Alfa Romeo) and even less practical. Were the whole team (plus gear) going to fit into a two seater? Evidently not, as they actually leave in a Mini, but at least this is addressed (rather flimsily) when someone makes a comment about blowing the budget on the Ferrari.
So there you have it, although I've probably missed some stuff. If you're into cars (and why else would you be reading?) this is a big, brash, in-your-face film which is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours with suspension of disbelief well and truly engaged.
Images remain copyright of Netflix.
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