JohnDoe
Bryn
BrentonJohn Doe’s:10 Greatest Car Chases In Cinema
October 16th 2006 07:21
John Doe’s:10 Greatest Car Chases In Cinema
I noticed that top 10 lists are getting good feedback so I thought Id get on the bandwagon and start one of my own.
The engine roars and the Tachometer jumps as the revs increase. The clutch is dropped, the wheels squeal, rubber burns and reckless velocity follows.
In recent years CGI has destroyed the spectacle of the genre and reduced it to just another videogame. (Gone In 60 Seconds (remake), Fast and the Furious, Matrix etc)
For me I need a sense of danger and am drawn to seeing just what an automobile is capable of in the right hands.
Shot at actual speed, kamikaze stuntmen at the wheel with camera angles and sound design to thrust you right back in the driver’s seat.
Here are 10 of my all time favourites (In No Particular Order)
Claude Lelouch’s
Rendezvous (1978)
-On DVD in USA
Reckless, irresponsible and completely illegal, Film mythology doesn’t come much richer than this, an urban legend in the 70’s. Hey do you know Tyler Durden? Hey have you seen Rendezvous?
In 1978 Accomplished French filmmaker Claude Lelouch had just finished shooting his next masterwork and had a remaining 10 minutes of unused film stock for his state of the art camera.
The legend goes an unknown driver (maybe the Director, maybe a pro F1 driver), mounted the camera to the bumper bar of a very fast car (maybe a Ferrari or Mercedes) and drove from one side of Paris to the other.
Completely disregarding public safety and the road rules, reaching speeds in excess of 140 MPH, One take, no edits and most importantly no second chances.
Rumours abound, one is that 3 people have died from watching this film due to how much it increases the heart rate.
Purely visceral you can download all 9 edge of your seat minutes here
Peter Yates'
Bullitt (1968)
-On DVD in Australia
Few cars have been so viciously put through there paces as Steve McQueen’s GTO fastback Mustang in this, the benchmark in celluloid pursuits. You almost expect to see the diff drop out as the king of Cool smokes it up in reverse.
Hooting along at over 110MPH the cars are bent out of shape and thanks to nifty editing we see a few collisions where the stunts were taken to close to the edge. Read John Doe's review here
Trivia: The more dangerous auto stunts in Bullitt were done by McQueen’s buddy Bud Ekins. Bud Ekins is also the one on the bike jumping the barb wire fence in The Great Escape.
Richard C Sarafian’s
Vanishing Point (1971)
-On DVD in Australia
This is the existential car chase film, Easy Rider with 4 wheels. Our hero, Kowalski (Dean Jagger) hops into a Dodge Challenger, pops a handful of methamphetamine and wants to see just how fast he can travel from Colorado to San Francisco. Along the way he meets the real America and learns that freedom is a thing of the past.
William Friedkin
The French Connection (1971)
To Live and Die In LA (1984)
-On DVD in Australia
Guerrilla Director Friedkin provides uncontrolled menace with the inexperienced Gene Hackman behind the wheel in The French Connection. Out of control and in hot pursuit of the over head train the car is only just staying on the road and at any moment tragedy could occur.
Upping the ante Friedkin later directed To Live and Die In LA which has an equally tense pursuit with a chase on The LA freeway going against traffic.
Trivia:The car that gets T Boned backing out of the driveway was driven by a civilian on his way to work. He had no idea they were shooting a film on his street because the director didn’t get permits or block the street off.
See Also:
Freebie and Bean starring James Caan and Alan Arkin
Monte Hellman’s
Two Lane BlackTop (1971)
-Unavailable
A racer and his mechanic travel across the US in their hotted up 55 Chevy, street racing for a
buck and trying to have a good time. Meeting the dregs of society, an E type Jag and clashing with Warren Oates in a suped up Trans Am.
The stunts are daring, the characters memorable and the film is not just an excuse to burn rubber, echoing Vanishing Point it also examines the sense of freedom that travelling at speed in a 4 wheeled machine offers.
See also:
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry starring Peter Fonda and Susan George
American Graffitti starring Harrison Ford
John Frankenheimer’s
Grand Prix (1966)
Ronin (1998)
-On DVD in Australia
A lifelong car nut, Grand Prix saw Director Frankenheimer reinvent the wheel so to speak. Every camera angle is explored and the result is the most complete coverage of the race game in cinema to this day. It took 22 years but the Director managed to top himself with the Tunnel chase in Ronin.
See also:
Le Mans starring Steve McQueen
Winning Starring Paul Newman for alternate race coverage of a high standard.
Charles Bail’s
The Gumball Rally (1976)
-On DVD in Australia
The original Cannonball Run, sure it’s a comedy but the car stunts are of an exceptional standard and the film really is a step above all the imitators that followed.
See also:
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World
The Burt Reynolds films (The Cannonball Run, Hooper, Smokey and The Bandit)
Walter Hill's
The Driver (1978)
-On DVD in Australia
Inspiring the videogame of the same name, this is moody, well made and most importantly overflowing with superb precision driving.Read John Does review here
See also:
Sam Peckinpah's The Getaway
H B Hallicki’s
Gone In 60 Seconds (1974)
Junkman (1982)
-On DVD In Australia
Few films deliver such non stop fear of death as the scenes captured in these two break neck films. World records were broken, stuntmen put into comas and killed and a cult was born. Showing exactly how to rip off autos the film was banned and censored all over the world.
Trivia: The Director was actually a stunt driver in the films and did some major damage to himself.
Peter Collinson’s
The Italian Job (1969)
-On DVD In Australia
A classic heist thriller, well made, brilliantly acted but none of it matters next to the real stars, those little mini coopers. Through pipes, down stairs, inside museums there is no where these little beasts can’t get in and out of; luckily they stop on a dime.
The engine roars and the Tachometer jumps as the revs increase. The clutch is dropped, the wheels squeal, rubber burns and reckless velocity follows.
In recent years CGI has destroyed the spectacle of the genre and reduced it to just another videogame. (Gone In 60 Seconds (remake), Fast and the Furious, Matrix etc)
For me I need a sense of danger and am drawn to seeing just what an automobile is capable of in the right hands.
Shot at actual speed, kamikaze stuntmen at the wheel with camera angles and sound design to thrust you right back in the driver’s seat.
Here are 10 of my all time favourites (In No Particular Order)
Rendezvous-US DVD Cover
Rendezvous (1978)
-On DVD in USA
Reckless, irresponsible and completely illegal, Film mythology doesn’t come much richer than this, an urban legend in the 70’s. Hey do you know Tyler Durden? Hey have you seen Rendezvous?
In 1978 Accomplished French filmmaker Claude Lelouch had just finished shooting his next masterwork and had a remaining 10 minutes of unused film stock for his state of the art camera.
Completely disregarding public safety and the road rules, reaching speeds in excess of 140 MPH, One take, no edits and most importantly no second chances.
Rumours abound, one is that 3 people have died from watching this film due to how much it increases the heart rate.
Purely visceral you can download all 9 edge of your seat minutes here
Peter Yates'
Bullitt (1968)
-On DVD in Australia
Few cars have been so viciously put through there paces as Steve McQueen’s GTO fastback Mustang in this, the benchmark in celluloid pursuits. You almost expect to see the diff drop out as the king of Cool smokes it up in reverse.
Hooting along at over 110MPH the cars are bent out of shape and thanks to nifty editing we see a few collisions where the stunts were taken to close to the edge. Read John Doe's review here
Trivia: The more dangerous auto stunts in Bullitt were done by McQueen’s buddy Bud Ekins. Bud Ekins is also the one on the bike jumping the barb wire fence in The Great Escape.
Bullitt- McQueen smokes it up
Vanishing Point-R4 DVD Cover
Vanishing Point (1971)
-On DVD in Australia
This is the existential car chase film, Easy Rider with 4 wheels. Our hero, Kowalski (Dean Jagger) hops into a Dodge Challenger, pops a handful of methamphetamine and wants to see just how fast he can travel from Colorado to San Francisco. Along the way he meets the real America and learns that freedom is a thing of the past.
William Friedkin
The French Connection (1971)
To Live and Die In LA (1984)
-On DVD in Australia
Guerrilla Director Friedkin provides uncontrolled menace with the inexperienced Gene Hackman behind the wheel in The French Connection. Out of control and in hot pursuit of the over head train the car is only just staying on the road and at any moment tragedy could occur.
Upping the ante Friedkin later directed To Live and Die In LA which has an equally tense pursuit with a chase on The LA freeway going against traffic.
Trivia:The car that gets T Boned backing out of the driveway was driven by a civilian on his way to work. He had no idea they were shooting a film on his street because the director didn’t get permits or block the street off.
See Also:
Freebie and Bean starring James Caan and Alan Arkin
French Connection-Close your eyes and hope for the best
Monte Hellman’s
Two Lane BlackTop (1971)
-Unavailable
A racer and his mechanic travel across the US in their hotted up 55 Chevy, street racing for a
buck and trying to have a good time. Meeting the dregs of society, an E type Jag and clashing with Warren Oates in a suped up Trans Am.
The stunts are daring, the characters memorable and the film is not just an excuse to burn rubber, echoing Vanishing Point it also examines the sense of freedom that travelling at speed in a 4 wheeled machine offers.
See also:
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry starring Peter Fonda and Susan George
American Graffitti starring Harrison Ford
Two Lane Blacktop- Now where is Lucas with our cars from American Graffitti?
John Frankenheimer’s
Grand Prix (1966)
Ronin (1998)
-On DVD in Australia
A lifelong car nut, Grand Prix saw Director Frankenheimer reinvent the wheel so to speak. Every camera angle is explored and the result is the most complete coverage of the race game in cinema to this day. It took 22 years but the Director managed to top himself with the Tunnel chase in Ronin.
See also:
Le Mans starring Steve McQueen
Winning Starring Paul Newman for alternate race coverage of a high standard.
Ronin- Rubbin' is Racin'
Charles Bail’s
The Gumball Rally (1976)
-On DVD in Australia
The original Cannonball Run, sure it’s a comedy but the car stunts are of an exceptional standard and the film really is a step above all the imitators that followed.
See also:
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World
The Burt Reynolds films (The Cannonball Run, Hooper, Smokey and The Bandit)
Gumball Rally- Where are those 2 priests in a Ferrari?
Walter Hill's
The Driver (1978)
-On DVD in Australia
Inspiring the videogame of the same name, this is moody, well made and most importantly overflowing with superb precision driving.Read John Does review here
See also:
Sam Peckinpah's The Getaway
The original Gone in 60 Seconds
Gone In 60 Seconds (1974)
Junkman (1982)
-On DVD In Australia
Few films deliver such non stop fear of death as the scenes captured in these two break neck films. World records were broken, stuntmen put into comas and killed and a cult was born. Showing exactly how to rip off autos the film was banned and censored all over the world.
Trivia: The Director was actually a stunt driver in the films and did some major damage to himself.
Peter Collinson’s
The Italian Job (1969)
-On DVD In Australia
A classic heist thriller, well made, brilliantly acted but none of it matters next to the real stars, those little mini coopers. Through pipes, down stairs, inside museums there is no where these little beasts can’t get in and out of; luckily they stop on a dime.
The Italian Job- All together Now. "We are the self preservation society......."
So what is your favourite 4 Wheeled Pursuit?
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
The Blues Brothers?
Comment by Aaron
Funny one is the one in Bad Boys 2. That was was really funny.
Aaron.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Mcqueen was on a motorbike in The Great Escape, not a car. I did mention the stuntman (Bud Ekins) who did the jump though because he also drove the Mustang in Bullitt.
As for The Blues Brothers it would have been #11 on my list. Im a massive fan as you know, just thought the ones I listed were that little bit more dangerous.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Ronin is a great chase, for sure.
Bourne i wasnt impressed with, had that seen it all before feel for me.
As for bad Boys 2, the chase is just over the top silly fun .....nice Ferrari though.
I couldnty sit through the Island so I didnt get to see the chase, maybe I should? Is it another Minority Report style chase?
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Is Cannonball Run also known as Carquake? With the guy driving the yellow Lambo Countach ans it blows up ...??
The car chase at the end of Bourne Supremacy is pretty damn impressive, especially when you look at how they did it on the DVD extras ...
And I remember seeing Rendezvous years and years ago! Wow, what a Parisian thrill that was!
There's some pretty crazy stuff in some of those HK action flicks ... the titles of which escape me right now ...
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
The film Carquake(1976) was also known as Cannonball and starred Starring david & robert caradine, some nifty stunts in that one.
Cannonball Run is the Burt Reynolds movie.
You can follow the link and download the complete 9 minutes of Rendezvous as a .mov file. Its worth checking out again.
You are so right with the Hong Kong car chases there have been some goodies, Initial D (Live action) being the latest gem with drift racing.
Comment by Aaron
Aaron.
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
Nothing in my mind can beat the thrill, excitment and sheer edge-of-your-seatedness of the car sequence in the Matrix II - Reloaded.
Pure Genius
Lilla.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Hi Lilla, thanks for dropping by.
Great to see the passion you have for the pursuit.
Personally I thought the Matrix Reloaded chase went to far over the top and CG heavy. Some of the early footage is quite good, but by the end of the sequence it was just looked silly to me.
,
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Stop. Start. Roll. Shhot. Broom.
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
The first one to pop into my head was The Blues Brothers...
Tracy
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
did you take the screen shots yourself?
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Luke
Book Club
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Comment by Anonymous
French Connection. Bullitt. To live and Die in LA. The Driver (the stand off in the underground parking area)! I think you nailed them all. Blues Brothers by common consensus is the one that got away but that's a comedy chase.
Mad Max 2 surely skirts the definition of a car chase but I'd like to put my hand out to a little known director called Steven Spielberg for Duel and the world's slowest carchase in "Sugarland Express"
Comment by Bob Short
Comment by Luke
Book Club
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Hi Byrn, No i didnt take the shots I downloaded them. I am going to start doing
it myself soon because I now have the technology.
Tracy, good one with Thelma and Louise, not for its velocity but for its originality.
hey Bob, great call with Duel and Sugarland Express, both have a fresh feel to them, even today. I agree that lists are a lot less taxing than critiquing, fun though because of the hearty response.
Luke as always you make me laugh with your droll humour, keep it up.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
I will look it up!
Cheers...
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Is that Vanishing Point your talking of looking up?
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
...you mentioned a car chase sequencing (like Chess), in The Way of The Gun...?
(scroll up)...
L.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by leonthefish
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I loved the car chase in the new 2008 Vantage Point because he is driving my brand new car!! LOL
Smokey and the Bandit rocked
The Italian Job was awesome!!
The Bourne Identity was cool
&
Mad Max was mad!!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I haven't seen vantage Point yet, but will check it out on DVD for its Rashmon espionage.
the Mad max opening is gold but it's always annoying in that shot where the Kangaroo hopping at 100 miles an hour in the background when they speed up the film.
The Bourne chase was passable, but didn't make the final cut for me.