Top 10 Movie Car Chase Scenes

1. The Blues Brothers (1980)

Cut to the chase: This riotous race to the Chicago comptroller’s office culminates in one of the longest chase scenes and the largest pile ups ever. “It’s a 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses. Hit it.”

2. The French Connection (1971)

Cut to the chase: Popeye Jones’ dizzying race under NYC’s old elevated subway line is bound to elevate your blood pressure especially after you learn that some of the movie’s most memorable moments were actually real including that near miss of the lady and her baby carriage.

3. Mad Max & Road Warrior  (1979 & 1981)

Cut to the chase: Talk about road rage… Mel Gibson and gang were pretty passionate about their petrol as they cruised around this nihilistic highway to hell. To add fuel to the fire the gas hoarding gangs equipped their modified muscle cars not only with nitrous super chargers but with high powered weapons. With today’s skyrocketing gas prices we wonder if we are that far off from a similar futuristic fate.

4. Bullitt (1968)

Cut to the chase: The Steve McQueen classic is viewed by many to be the grandfather of all car chase movies as it left many an audience member car sick as viewers were launched through the Streets of San Francisco aboard the muscle car.

The McQueen vehicle moves into this list with a bullet (it realy should probably be higher up on our list).

5. Smokey and the Bandit & The Cannonball Run (1977 & 1981)

Cut to the chase: These Burt Reynolds vehicles not only made road trips all the rage but they firmly established the Trans AM as the “it car” in High School parking lots across the country.

6. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Cut to the chase: With Matt Damon behind the wheel the movie chase scene was “Bourne again” as we witnessed the modern day incarnation of the joust but with cars and metal. Paul Greengrass wasn’t suffering from tunnel vision directing this Robert Ludlum thrill ride through the streets of Moscow.

7. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Cut to the chase: With so many action packed Bond movies to choose from… how do we decide? Well our requisite was we not only had to select a film featuring 007’s signature Astin Martin but also one with a plot twist that matches its twisting car sequence. George Lazenby’s one hit wonder in which James Bond’s wife was hit in the passenger seat next to him will leave you both shaken and stirred.

8. Batman Begins (2005)
Cut to the chase: Forget his bat phone and his utility belt, the Batmobile was Batman’s greatest go to gadget. It was also interesting to learn how the great getaway car came about in BB.

9. Grease (1978)

Cut to the chase: We are not trying to switch gears here too much but how about Greased Lightning? The movie is a total chick flick as John Travolta took a spin to win the heart of Olivia Newton John but the bottom line is the film’s drag race in the damn basin was well… pretty damn good.

10. (tie) Ronin (1998)

Cut to the chase: Nice. John Frankenheimer skillfully leads us through the serpentine streets of Southern France in this adroit post cold ward adaptation.

10. (tie) The Italian Job ( 2003)

Cut to the chase: This heist caper featuring Mini Coopers squeezed out very inch of action in their chase scenes as we found ourselves careening inside a house and sidewinding through a sewer pipe. Ciao

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Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 car, lists, movies RSS 2.0