Downtown, and step on it

Cabbies have long made for compelling characters, but this year the taxis themselves have had some of the best parts in cinematic vehicles as varied as Michael Mann’s “Collateral” and John Waters’ “A Dirty Shame.” The titular star of “Taxi” even drives off with the whole film, without one line of dialogue. Such versatile performers would seem to deserve an award -- maybe a hood ornament? Our nominees:

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Movie: ‘A Dirty Shame’

The Star: A well-worn 1998 yellow Ford from the National Transportation Co.

Nominated for ... Best romantic scene

Driver: Ty Ford, Moral Majority member

Fare: Tracey Ullman, nymphomaniac housewife

Destination: Ray-Ray’s Service Center, 2406 Harford Road, Baltimore -- the HQ of a group of sexual apostles

The ride: The cab serves as a changing cabana for Ullman. She tosses her bra into a passerby’s car and attempts to climb in the front of the taxi with the horrified driver, shouting, “Come on! You can leave the meter running!” The taxi swerves and screeches to a stop to disgorge Ullman before peeling out like Jackie Gleason bellowing his classic “And awa-a-a-y we go!”

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Movie: ‘Cellular’

The Star: A well-maintained yellow-colored cab of unknown origin, probably American made

Nominated for ... Best cab cameo

Driver: Producer Dean Devlin, in an uncredited role

Fare: Chris Evans, heroic cellphone owner

Destination: From LAX to a Century City bank and Quicksilver Towing

The ride: The taxi gets only about 25 seconds of screen time, but it’s a very important 25 seconds -- indeed, the movie’s key revelation happens in the cab. It’s enough to forget all the other vehicles (Ford Bronco, Porsche, cruddy rent-a-cop car) that Evans drives around L.A. as he tries to rescue Kim Basinger, a hostage whose only lifeline is a connection to Evans’ cellphone.

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Movie: ‘The Bourne Supremacy’

The Star: A boxy, pristine yellow-and-black checkered Muscovite cab

Nominated for ... Best chase sequence

Driver: Matt Damon, amnesiac former assassin

Fare: There isn’t enough vodka in Russia to get anyone else in this cab

Destination: A glass-shattering spinski through Moscow

The ride: The stick-shift cab (with Damon driving) pursues an assassin in a black Mercedes G Wagon at breakneck speed through Moscow. In the end, the little taxi gets crumpled like a Kleenex.

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Movie: ‘Collateral’

The Star: An immaculate Ford Crown Victoria with Bell Cab colors (but it’s called a Yellow Cab)

Nominated for ... Best dramatic drive

Driver: Jamie Foxx, blue-collar dreamer

Fare: Tom Cruise, superstar assassin

Destination: On a killing spree through greater Los Angeles

The ride: For $700, Cruise hires the cab (and Foxx) to spend the night knocking off witnesses for the prosecution in a major drug trial. Victim No. 1 lands on the taxi’s roof and is stashed in the trunk. The taxi (and Foxx) display a heroism that grows with every indignity and abuse, culminating in a jump-on-the-grenade crash, flip, roll and skid to a shuddering halt in downtown L.A.

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Movie: ‘Taxi’

The Star: A spotless Ford Crown Victoria that, with the flick of a switch, becomes one pimped ride

Nominated for ... Best comedic turn

Driver: Queen Latifah, aspiring NASCAR racer

Fare: Jimmy Fallon, NYPD laughingstock

Destination: Across Manhattan, chasing supermodel bank robbers in a BMW 760

The ride: The taxi, with its titanium supercharger and revolving license plates, is the hero here. Despite endless bickering between Latifah and Fallon, who shoots out a window (ouch!), it nimbly navigates past plot potholes.