Back when westerns ruled the roost in Tinseltown, the centerpiece scene was the shootout. In the last forty years, the big budget action flick has become the favored genre. Horses and six shooters have been replaced with asphalt and engines. Whether buddy cop comedies, old school crime dramas, B movie tributes or mega sci-fi/superhero franchises, the car chase is the go-to plot device for action writers and filmmakers.
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is upon us. To pay homage to the guys who drive fast for a living, I’m rewinding the last four decades to showcase the finest in choreographed road rage offered up by Hollywood. Strap in and check your mirrors. This promises to be a heart pounding ride filled with nonstop thrills and spills. (Note: The Bourne Trilogy and The Fast and the Furious deserve recognition, but Big Brother won’t allow access to clips. Boo! Also, beware of NSFW language.)
20 – The Wraith (1986)
Technically, this is more of a race, but there are cops in hot pursuit. At any rate, this flick screams the ‘80s. You got Chuck Sheen, a tricked-out Trans Am and an awful soundtrack song called “Never Surrender” by some group called Lion. Oh, and it has a supernatural/alien vibe too.
19 – The Transporter (2002)
I dig Jason Statham. He’s not pretending to be Shakespeare. He’s in movies to do one thing — KICK SERIOUS ASS. Statham’s carved a nice little niche for himself in extreme cinema with the Transporter and Crank series. In this scene, wheelman extraordinaire Frank Martin evades French police through the cramped boulevards of Cannes.
18 – Bad Boys II (2003)
What you gonna do, what you gonna do when they come for you? Sorry, couldn’t resist. Michael Bay knows how to stage elaborate action sequences. Now, the art of coaxing a nuanced performance from an actor is lost on him, but if you’re watching Bad Boys II and expecting Daniel Day-Lewis to pop up and start stealing scenes, you’re insane. My favorite part of this chase is the runaway boat.
17 – Duel (1971)
Steven Spielberg’s directorial debut is eerily similar to a certain shark movie made four years later. Instead of a twenty-five foot Carcharodon carcharias, the foe is an ominous brown tanker truck. If you haven’t seen this man versus evil entity tussle, do yourself a favor and find a copy. Even at the tender age of 25, Spielberg had mad skills.
16 – Quantum of Solace (2008)
Bond, James Bond, has to be represented. There are plenty of four-wheel escapades to choose from in 22 films, but I went with the latest incarnation. I love Daniel Craig as 007. He saved the franchise, in my estimation. In the opening to Solace, Bond pilots a sweet Aston Martin as two equally sleek Alfa Romeos give chase. The action is fast and furious, but Bond can’t be bested by these baddies.
15 – Vanishing Point (1971)
Kowalski has fifteen hours to deliver a 1970 Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco. With the help of a DJ named Super Soul, he eludes the authorities across four states. Essentially, the entire duration of the film is an extended car chase. What is Kowalski’s motivation? Who cares, this cat can drive.
14 – The Rock (1996)
Connery. Cage. Harris. Sounds awesome, right? Too bad it was directed by Michael Bay. Wait, Michael Bay again? WTF!? Hey, like I said, he is a master at this type of stuff. This pursuit through the streets of San Francisco pilfers borrows from a classic, but it doesn’t disappoint. How ‘bout that yellow Ferrari!
13 – Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Sure, the Bandit series is silly and overblown, but it’s also entertaining. Jackie Gleason and Burt Reynolds hammed it up like nobody’s business. The black 1977 Trans Am is without question the car I would most like to own. It’s a tad redneck, but I’ll put it up against any muscle car when Buford T. Justice is hot on my tail.
12 – Death Proof (2007)
I’m probably in the minority, but I really dig Tarantino’s tribute to some of the other films on this list. Kurt Russell kicks major ass and as an added bonus we get the sultry Rosario Dawson, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a cheerleader outfit. Nice. The countryside Charger versus Challenger high-speed demolition derby is a filmmaking clinic.
11 – The Seven-Ups (1973)
This is one of my favorite movies of the ‘70s. A secret squad of NYC detectives called “The Seven-Ups” do whatever it takes to bring down ruthless criminals. When one of their own ends up dead, the squad is implicated. The following chase advances from crowded city thoroughfares to a country freeway and ends with a bang. It’s just one reason to add The Seven-Ups into your Netflix queue.
10 – The Italian Job (1969)
If you like European sports cars, you’ll love The Italian Job. A Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Jaguar E-Type and the Mini Cooper S all make guest appearances. Of course, it’s the Mini Coopers that own the show as they deftly maneuver through a manufactured traffic jam. I’m aware they remade this classic a few years back, but I refuse to acknowledge it exists. The original is where it’s at.
9 – Ronin (1998)
This is one of those flicks I could watch over and over. It never gets old and the action is expertly designed and executed by director John Frankenheimer. Robert De Niro plays an ex-CIA op who along with a few other intelligence agents are hired to seize a mysterious briefcase. This lengthy hunt weaves through the compacted streets of picturesque Nice, France.
8 – Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
A crack team of car thieves are tasked to swipe 48 cars in five days. What ensues is the longest running chase in movie history clocking in at over 30 minutes. Stuntman H.B. Halicki wrote, directed, produced and starred in this cult classic. However, the real star is Eleanor, a yellow 1973 Mach 1 Ford Mustang.
7 – The Dark Knight (2008)
Heath Ledger’s phenomenal performance as The Joker stole a lot of the thunder in The Dark Knight. There’s no denying the guy knocked it out the effing park from start to stop. That being said, this is also one humdinger of an action flick, highlighted by the intense Batpod versus semi truck chase sequence.
6 – The French Connection (1971)
This was the first R-rated movie to win the Best Picture Oscar. “Popeye” Doyle and Buddy Russo are NY narco cops attempting to smash an international heroin smuggling syndicate. This is probably the second most famous car chase put to film and it still manages to get the blood pumping.
5 – To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Back-to-back winners from director William Friedkin. Fourteen years after helming The French Connection, Friedkin took dead aim at this extremely underrated thriller about a reckless Treasury Agent’s crusade to bring down the counterfeiter responsible for killing his partner. The second act freeway pursuit is a marvel to behold. At least fifty cars get wrecked in this masterpiece.
4 – The Blues Brothers (1980)
Jake and Elwood Blues are film icons. This dastardly duo may operate on the wrong side of the law, but it’s all for a good cause. The Blues boys are a popular bunch. A vindictive woman, dedicated Neo-Nazis, a perturbed country band and the obligatory coppers all want a piece of the brothers. Lucky for them, they’re on a “Mission from God.” Who’s up for a leisurely drive through a shopping mall?
3 – The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Wachowski Brothers didn’t eff around when it came to creating ambitious set pieces in the Matrix Trilogy. They melded together live-action footage, stop-motion effects and a bevy of ingenuous CGI for a car chase befitting the 21st Century. I’m not easily impressed at the cineplex, but when it comes to dynamic action sequences, this is beyond amazing.
2 – Bullitt (1968)
It needs to be written: Steve McQueen was the man. If you’re a guy, you wanted to be him; if you’re a chick, you wanted to be with him. In perhaps his most memorable role, McQueen plays no nonsense San Francisco detective Frank Bullitt, who dodges bureaucratic entanglements to solve the murder of a mob witness. If you haven’t seen this legendary chase, you’re in for an experience. There is no substitute for Steve McQueen.
1 – The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2) (1981)
“You want to get out of here? You talk to me.” Those two sentences kick off the greatest auto pursuit ever put to film. Often imitated, never duplicated, the final act chase pits post-apocalyptic solider of fortune Mad Max and his ragtag gang of gas station attendants against the leather clad minions of Lord Humungus. Aussie director George Miller flawlessly conducts a symphony of spectacular destruction.
I would have to add the truck chase from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” into the top ten somewhere.
Matrix Reloaded?? Special effects do not a car chase make. You can’t agree with every list, but I must say: BatMan has a super retarded bike. When I saw the trailer on tv I spat my tea all over the place in disbelief. I would have put the Blues Brothers at number one, but that’s because it’s my favourite
So glad you included to oft-overlooked “Ronin” in this set!
Ya left out the chase scenes from “Bourne Supremecy” and “The Dead Pool?” Tsk tsk… And what about the motorcycle chase scene from “T2?”
I’m with Kay – special effects do not make a good car chases scene. There needs to be some reasonable plot motivation for the chase other than to show some pyrotechnics and stunt driver skills. “Bad Boys” & “Gone in 60 Seconds” were nothing more than Bruckheimer jerking off – with a massive budget. The chase scene from “Matrix: Reloaded” was just stupid & pointless excuse for the Wachowski Bros to show off and burn money. Oh, it looked cool, but made no real sense and did nothing to advance the story. It felt forced because it was forced.
Props for including Ronin, although the video on this page doesn’t show the other (better) car chase scene.
The Matrix Reloaded totally deserves to be on the list. The special effects added to the chase but the total 10 minute scene contains 3 different chases all in one scene – they built a freeway to stage the whole thing for God sake. And most of those elements are practical effects and real driving not CGI.
I would have put Ronin at number 2 and French Connection at number 1 however.
Still have to put the Blues Brothers at the top of my list. My dad introduced this movie to me when I was a kid and I still love it!
dude, wheres the bourne supremacy car chase!
Bourne Identity????????
How can you leave Terminator 2? Doesn’ta truck chasing a bike counts as a car chase?
If you read the opening paragraphs you would see I clearly stated that The Bourne Trilogy belonged, but there are no available clips online due to the film studio being dicks
Vanishing Point, The Seven Ups and Duel outside of the top 10???!!! No way! Must be done by someone under 25yrs old. The Wraith should not even be in the top 50.
Nice list, some classics there, especially Gone in 60 seconds, miles better than the re-make. But why the ‘edited’ version of Mad Max 2, I don’t remember that music being in it.
BULLITT by far
I still think the remake of Gone in 60 Seconds trumps all of them, so that one gets my vote, you gotta love Eleanor!
I’d put Bullitt in at No. 1, where it belongs and always will.
Yeah, Ronin belongs in there, as does Mad Max + The Road warrior ( although everybody hated to see the death of the Interceptor)..
Transporter 1, where he used the BMW, less special effects a better car chase I thought..
CGI does not make a great car chase.
And how can forget, THe Driver with Ryan O neill.. the car chase’s were awesome ..
Nice movies list. My favourite is BULLITT……………. the classical car chase
Who the heck made up this list???? Mad Max had way better chase scenes than Road warrior, What about gone in 60 seconds remake. The remake of Vanishing point, Convoy, Gumball Ralley, Cannon ball run. I can keep going.
Personally I think the scene of the final leg of the Gumball Rally (1968?) needs to be on this list: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnl4Y-nYdJE
Ive watched tons of Car Chases, and my all time favorite is the original Gone in 60 seconds. The next would be Vanishing Point.
Well some of the best of the best are definitely on here, but one of my own favorites left off of this list was the scene from “Running Scared” (Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines) where they’re in the taxi chasing the limo up onto the El-train tracks in Chicago. Not as epic as the Blues Brothers, but definitely classic.
I personally like the short car chase from set it off where queen latifa dies at the end. But everyone is different…