Car chases used to be part and parcel of cinema. Every action film had one, whether good or bad. These days though, you have to be prepared to sit through two hours of Vin Diesel mumbling whilst Paul Walker stares blankly into space to get a fast car fix.
That could all change with the release of new comedy 30 MINUTES OR LESS that sees Jesse Eisenberg team up with Danny McBride in a bank robbing – car chase comedy epic. In the meantime though, we decided to whet our appetites for automobile action with a top ten classic film car chases.
10. SWORDFISH – Dominic Sena – 2001
SWORDFISH has so much wrong with it that we could spend a day listing its faults. But whilst John Travolta’s ridiculous hair/beard combo in the film may be the most obvious defect, the Saturday Night Fever star is also involved in a memorable car chase in the film.
Director Dominic Sena didn’t have a great track record with car chases going into the film, having managed to suck the joy out of the Nicholas Cage led “Gone in Sixty Seconds” which was about the point I realised the film was terrible, but he did a better job with Swordfish.
With good guy hacker Hugh Jackman enjoying a cruise in a Tuscan TVR alongside John Travolta, the duo soon find themselves under attack. Driving the streets at high speed and under constant attack, the most memorable moment comes when Travolta asks to stop the car and then proceeds to unleash machine gun hell on those pursuing him.
This scene alone is enough to get SWORDFISH a place in the top ten and also gives viewers another reason, just behind Halle Berry’s twins, to watch the film again.
9. TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA – William Friedkin – 1985
William Friedkin’s To LIVE AND DIE IN LA was the archetypal eighties cop movie. Renegade officer pursuing a drug kingpin seeking revenge for his fallen partner, it was made back when William Petersen was considered a movie star, rather than someone who looked thoughtfully down microscopes in CSI. Over 25 years on, much of the film feels as old as that sounds.
However, one element that remains untouched by time in its sheer brilliance is the Los Angeles freeway car chase. Pursued by FBI agents after accidentally killing an undercover agent they thought was a jewel thief (don’t ask) Petersen and partner John Pankow endure a panic stricken escape across the streets of LA.
Things really hot up when the cars reach the freeway though as Petersen and co driving directly into traffic. Friedkin handles the scene perfectly, with audible engine noise combined with actor close ups for extra tension. Yet, there’s little surprise given the director’s form for such cinema…
8. THE BLUES BROTHERS – John Landis – 1979
Forget for a moment that Blues Brothers 2000 was ever made and lets just bask in the glory of the original Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi spectacular. Soul music and some memorable jokes may dominate most people’s memories of the film, but for us, THE BLUES BROTHERS is all about the car chases. Over 300 different cars were destroyed in the making of the film and whilst that figure may bring a tear to the eye of the environmentally focused amongst you, on screen it equalled pure cinematic joy.
Director John Landis had little on his CV to suggest he could handle a car chase, but the TRADING PLACES director showed himself to be a dab hand at the classic car chase. Highlights include Aykroyd and Belushi’s impromptu trip to an American shopping mall in their cars whilst the film also features some incredible car leap stunts and some equally impressive crashes and pile ups – watch and enjoy!
7. THE BOURNE IDENTITY – Doug Liman – 2002
Some often forget that it was Doug Liman rather than Paul Greengrass that first got the Bourne ball rolling back in 2002. Liman was keen to create an espionage thriller that was both straightforward enough to follow but more importantly realistic in its portrayal of action and stunts.
After all, recent times had seen the likes of James Bond’s DIE ANOTHER DAY and the spectre of invisible cars, so Liman was keen to show what could really be done with automobiles. The result was an inspired car chase involving Jason Bourne in a Mini of all things.
Driving through narrow Paris sidewalks and streets, the most memorable moment came as the car hurtled down a perfectly sized set of steps. It’s a scene of incredible ingenuity and stunt execution, which undoubtedly must have required more than few car replacements – just as well they used a Mini rather than a Ferrari then.
6. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY – James Cameron – 1991
Before James Cameron retired from creating original films rather than glorified cinematic fireworks displays, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY was the 21st century chase movie. It was the classic tale underpinned by a constant tension as John Connor, Linda Hamilton and original terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger attempted to escape from the evil clutches of Robert Patrick’s liquid terminator.
Respect must be given to Patricks’ performance as the T-1000 – arguably the scariest man to even don a police officer’s outfit, just looking at him onscreen makes me want to run far, far away. At over two hours long, James Cameron’s real masterstroke is in maintaining the pace of what is essentially one big chase.
He does this by building in classic car chase sequences and none is more so that the T-1000’s pursuit of Arnie and Edward Furlong in a giant truck with the duo escaping on a Harley Davidson.
The sequence includes an array of impressive stunts, from the trucks initial crash landing onto the freeway, to Arnie’s bike flying in to rescue Furlong and his puny rally motorbike. It even works as a kind of stand-alone short film, with the T-1000 seemingly crushed in the wreckage of his truck crash. It’s only then that we learn the true extent of Robert Patrick’s powers though.
5. THE ROCK – Michael Bay – 1996
It’s fair to say that this 1996 release by Michael Bay helped to establish the template for what we know today simply as “Bayhem.” Sunsets, loud noises, violence and lavish technology were all par for the course in THE ROCK. FBI chemist Nicholas Cage and prison escape expert oldie Sean Connery teamed up to break back into the prison island of Alcatraz to rescue hostages and stop disillusioned general Ed Harris. Sound hectic? It was, as Michael Bay attempted to cram enough action for three action films into one. Shower room based gun fight? Check. Underground cavern based rail cart attack? Of course.
But the true cherry on the cake came earlier in the film, as a newly release Sean Connery attempted a daring escape from FBI custody in a completely inconspicuous hummer. Naturally Nicholas Cage pursued in an equally subtle yellow Ferrari and one of the best car chases of recent years was born.
Not so much because of its longevity but more for the sheer unexpected joy of it all, as though Bay and Bruckheimer decided that what this prison based island assault movie was really lacking was a car chase across San Francisco.
4. BULLITT – Peter Yates – 1968
BULLITT starring Steve McQueen set the mark by which all future car chase sequences were judged. The film is nearly 50 years old, yet remains a timeless classic is a testament to the work of director Peter Yates and his stunt team.
Featuring Steve McQueen in his prime, the car chase sequence represented the living embodiment of nearly every young man’s car based dreams. In the sequence, police officer McQueen flies through the streets of San Francisco in a class Mustang whilst being pursued by two Mafia hitmen intent on killing him.
High speeds ensue, with McQueen actually driving that car himself in certain sequence, though the amount stands at around 10 per cent of footage rather than the higher figure suggested by some.
The 9 minutes and 42 seconds of chase footage took three weeks to film but was more than worth it. Unbelievably, only two mustangs were used in filming, with one of the cars surviving and subsequently being sold on.
3. MAD MAX 2: ROAD WARRIOR – George Miller – 1991
When people look back on the Mad Max trilogy, chances are that most of their positive memories remain firmly attached to Mad Max 2. After all, a look back on the original MAD MAX reminds of just how little was seemingly spent on the film and just how obvious that looks today. MAD MAX 3: BEYOND THUNDERDOME meanwhile, is the exact opposite: a lavish, expensive, overcomplicated mess featuring a gurning Tina Turner telling us “we don’t need another hero.”Well after that, we certainly didn’t need another Mad Max film.
Fortunately though, MAD MAX 2 was the film where creator George Miller got it spot on and much of that success was down to the car chase at the centre of the film. Max is tasked with transporting a tanker of petrol to a new settlement whilst dealing with an array of cyberpunk style Marauders.
The chase is so effective, not because of speed or even risk manoeveres (the truck drives in a straight line) but its so effective because the chase essentially works as a foundation for the ensuing battles and action of the film. Brilliantly executed by Miller, who’s crew must have filmed driving alongside the tanker, it remains the defining moment of the MAD MAX Series.
2. RONIN – John Frankenheimer – 1998
RONIN boasted many things upon its release: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno and even Sean Bean. Unfortunately what is was lacking was a completely solid script, with the film instead falling into the pitfalls that the Bourne Trilogy would later avoid (more on that later.)
Yet for all its faults, Ronin did offer one major moment of cinematic magic – the Paris car chase. Driving at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour, the film features not one but two classic car chases.
For our money, the Paris sequence pips the Nice one but for car chase enthusiasts alone, Ronin is worth a watch – just don’t try too hard to follow the labyrinth plot. Realistic in its creation, over 80 cars were demolished during what must have been a gruelling shoot. You can even see the fear in Robert De Niro’s face and that’s not acting either – De Niro was sat in the car as the stunt drivers performed the high speed chase.
That’s method acting for you.
1. THE FRENCH CONNECTION – William Friedkin – 1971
William Friedkin’s second entry into this top ten is arguably his finest with the director creating arguably the most famous car chase of all time. With Gene Hackman’s Popeye O’Doyle in pursuit of a drug dealer on a elevated train, the sequence is unique in that it features a standard Pontiac LeMans chasing a train rather than a car.
On paper, the chase could have fallen into the mundane category in other hands, but William Friedkin once again showed his skill as a director in building excitement and tension to create the iconic chase.
The speed is never anything but frantic, as the Hackman pursues the train through narrow streets and underpasses to excellent effect. Things are ramped up to the very limit, with Hackman filmed through the windshield screaming into oblivion as the car hurtles down street after street.
Incredible stunts, high tension and expert direction – there is no chase quite like it.
30 MINUTES OR LESS is due for release in the UK on 16th September 2011. Read the review here
