Classic movie car chases

[MapleLeafMerc]

Nothing like a good ol' car chase to liven up a movie!

Some golden oldies:

Thunder Road (1958)
Goldfinger (1964)
Bullit (1968)
Vanishing Point (1971)
The French Connection (1971)
Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
The Driver (1978)

http://www.nationalpost.com/driversedge/story.html?id=E88D190D-D3B3-4704-852A-472E7758FDAE

[Racerx88]

What about Ronin?

[TAF]

King of the Mountain (1981) starred Harry Hamlin, Joseph Bottoms, Dennis Hopper, and Dan Haggerty (yes...Dan Haggerty)

Dennis Hopper drove a SWEET Big Block '67 L88 Vette.

[duhtroll]

At the top of the list has to be the French Connection - not because it is the best car chase, but because they didn't announce they were doing it or take any precautions with it.

They did *ask* for permission, but were turned down. So they did it anyway.

-A

[cyclone03]

Originally posted by duhtroll
At the top of the list has to be the French Connection - not because it is the best car chase, but because they didn't announce they were doing it or take any precautions with it.

They did *ask* for permission, but were turned down. So they did it anyway.

-A

Almost the whole 1974 Gone in 60 seconds was filmed that way.
The opening scene of the train derailment was completly abb libbed at the sight of a train derailment.The cops ran em off when the real insurance guys showed up.

The new "Italian Job" is pretty good too.

[RoyLPita]

How about the 1st scene in the movie Striking Distance? And how about the Lotus vs. Dodge cop car and then a 91 Mustang GT convertible in the movie Basic Instinct? In the opening credits to the show "The Fall Guy" it shows a Dodge Charger getting hit by a train. That scene was from the movie "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry". And what about both Blues Brothers movies? "Jade" had a good chase between and Taurus and a T-Bird.

Just my .02 once again.

[Silver_04]

It's not quite a chase but I really got a kick out of the driving in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Since we're on the topic of car chases I think the Marauder would be a great car for a chase. It could easily play a good or bad guy role.

[TAF]

Originally posted by Silver_'04
It's not quite a chase but I really got a kick out of the driving in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Since we're on the topic of car chases I think the Marauder would be a great car for a chase. It could easily play a good or bad guy role.

It was...on the show "Alias" last year.

[martyo]

Originally posted by Racerx88
What about Ronin?

That was my immediate response too, although I also agree on the comments on the French Connection....

[SILVERMARAUDER]

My kids love to watch BULLITT while riding in my MM i try to keep up with the roar from the MUSTANG when Steve M opens her up! :)

[MAD-3R]

Blues Brothers? Huh? Hello!!?!?!?!
:)

[MapleLeafMerc]

Originally posted by RoyLPita
In the opening credits to the show "The Fall Guy" it shows a Dodge Charger getting hit by a train. That scene was from the movie "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry".

One of my favourites! ;)

Larry

[MapleLeafMerc]

Originally posted by martyo
That was my immediate response too, although I also agree on the comments on the French Connection....

In two weeks they'll print part 2 of the the greatest chases list. Don't know if Ronin will be there!

[junehhan]

Bad Boyz II had some awesome car chase scenes that I thought were incredibly well done with a lot of action. Lots of nice footage of that Ferrari, then a Cadillac CTS, and ultimately a H2 Hummer at the end.

Of course, there was a good car chase scene in "The Rock" as well which I thought was pretty well done with a Ferrari chasing a H1 Hummer.

[Long Live #3]

Fast and the Furious!

[MapleLeafMerc]

I haven't seen all the movies on this list, but the dialogue between Barry Newman (the driver) and Cleavon Little (the blind DJ) in Vanishing Point was great. The last scene with the bulldozers was memorable.

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by Long Live #3
Fast and the Furious!


You can't be serious....

Those were the LONGEST quarter mile races I've ever watched. I had nightmares of "intake welds" blowing for weeks... :lol:

[martyo]

Originally posted by TripleTransAm
Those were the LONGEST quarter mile races I've ever watched.

Steve:

The producers were trying to be realistic. They amply demonstarted that a quarter mile in a ricer can seem like an eternity.....

[TripleTransAm]

Yeah, but those cars were supposed to be FAST! The main character even asked for TWO nitrous bottles, in one scene. TWO nitrous bottles! Not just one but TWO! Do you know how much faster a car is with TWO nitrous bottles instead of one????

:rolleyes:

(Note to all: don't let me catch ANYONE of you self-respecting car folks asking why the above scene from the movie makes no sense at all... ) :flamer:

[BillyGman]

Originally posted by martyo
Steve:

The producers were trying to be realistic. They amply demonstarted that a quarter mile in a ricer can seem like an eternity.....

LOLOLOLOL!!!!!! Good one Marty.........I'm surprised that some of you older guys will even admit that you've actually watched that movie.......
Anyway, I'm gonna have to watch some of those movies that have been listed here(I'll pass on the "Slow & Furious" though. No offence LONGLIVE). I've seen some of them, but not all.
I'm also adding to this interesting list. Since Smokey & The Bandit has been mentioned, what about "White Lightning" which was Burt Reynolds first movie that included car chases(to my knowledge). Another one is "The Seven Ups" w/Roy Schrieder. And here's one that I bet that nobody has thought of...."Freebie & The Bean" w/James Caan, & Alan Arkin.

[jerrym3]

Same producer that did Bullitt and the French Connection did Seven Ups (D'Antoni). Excellant chase scene through NY City.

I had the opportunity to see Bullitt in the theaters on a big screen when it first came out. The scenes shot from inside the car leaping the San Francisco hills made your stomach actually jump.

[dwasson]

Originally posted by Long Live #3
Fast and the Furious!

More like slow and snotty.

I vote for Ronin. Explosions just seem to liven up a car chase.

[MAD-3R]

I'll pass on the "Slow & Furious" though.

don't pass on it, but rent or barrow, and jump to the final scenes. The 10sec Charger is a sight to behold. When he started it , I felt the bottem of the speakers drop out. After 60 some minutes of WHEEE wheee wheee, to be hit with Budda budda budda.... I needed a smoke. :)

[RedMM]

How about Rambo where the sheriff in the LTD II chases the motorcycle and darn near makes that big ole Ford go everywhere that the motorcycle goes!!Cool!! :rock:

[RoyLPita]

Originally posted by MAD-3R
Blues Brothers? Huh? Hello!!?!?!?!
:)

Think about it. Both movies had them being chased by the police and many cop cars getting smashed. (I will admit that BB 2000 chase was a bit "much").

[TripleTransAm]

More like a 14 second Charger, if I remember the behind-the-scenes write-ups. To get that wheelstanding start, they had to resort to some sort of hydraulic lifting mechanism up front. Don't believe everything they say in the movies. ;)

God I hated that movie. The sound of the Charger barely made up for the rest of the movie. Glad I borrowed it and didn't have to shell out a penny of my own hard earned salary for that trash.

I had the opening moments of the famous Bullit chase scene as the background to my voice mail message at work from circa-1994 until around 1998, remixed to start with a randomly looped sequence of the Mustang as it waited for traffic to pass (ie. "vroom, vrr-vrroom, vr-vr--vrr-vrooom, vroom" etc.) and then ending with the sound of the Charger's tires as it took off. The message went something like "blah blah blah... leave me a message and I'll call you as soon as I outrun all these folks who are after me... <screaming tires sounds> BEEP"

I'd come in some mornings to find 3-4 blank messages with only the brief sound of the 'international circuit disconnection" (blip!) to prove the call came from one of our external (ie. Europe, Asia, Australia, etc.) offices, as word of my voice mail message got around. My 15 seconds of fame, I guess...

[MapleLeafMerc]

Well, here we are two weeks later, with the second installment of the 'Reel Wheels' car chase list. Five of these seven were called by members. We MM owners know our car chases! :up:

Blues Brothers (1980) (RoyLPita) (also duhtroll's sig)
Cannonball Run (1981)
The Rock (1996) (junehhan)
Ronin (1998) (Racerx88, martyo)
The Fast and the Furious (2001) (Long Live #3)
The Italian Job (2003) (cyclone03)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Next time in Reel Wheels- The Car Crash King

[SHERIFF]

BadBoysII has a pretty good chase scene in the first 30 minutes or so. I did not see the last hour and a half of it yet because I left home for a Christmas Party on short notice.