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There have been plenty of car chases throughout film history, but it’s only been in the past few decades that the art of putting one together has really come alive. When you see the best of the best, you become aware of the level of artistry, not just from the talented stunt drivers who make these feats possible, but also from the skilled directors who know how to keep a firm handle on the geography of the chase. When done right, car chases can be an exhilarating, unforgettable element of a film.
Did your favorite make the cut? Read on.
Most car chases in movies seem to proudly announce, “This is a movie car chase! It has been carefully choreographed for maximum effect.” And that’s fine, but what makesBullittspecial is how it feels like it’s actually happening. DirectorPeter Yatesuses the San Francisco streets and puts the viewer in the middle of the action, relying mostly on sound effects and careful editing rather than trying to play up the action. By taking the counter-intuitive approach that the chase itself is exciting enough on its own merits, the car chase fromBullittsucks you in as you watch the two vehicles weave across the San Francisco streets. —Matt Goldberg
The Fifth Element
Traditional car chases are great, but for an unconventional movie likeThe Fifth Element, a non-traditional car chase is a must-have.Luc Bessondelivers a thrilling and hilarious sequence that not only serves as a meet-cute between retired commando/current cab driver Korben Dalls (Bruce Willis) and the perfect being, Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), but also establishes the world’s technology and reinforces the movie’s comedic tone.
It’s a rare car chase indeed that moves in three dimensions, at least until flying cars become a thing.The Fifth Elementcab chase uses every available inch of real estate, twisting and turning through city corridors while also climbing as high as the many skyscrapers and diving low into the thick protective barrier of smog. Accompanying all of this insanity, which includes a trigger-happy NYPD and Leeloo’s ramblings in an alien language, is the weirdly fitting song “Alech Taadi” fromCheb Khaled. You won’t find a better sci-fi car chase this century.– Dave Trumbore
We Own the Night
None ofJames Gray’s films hues closest to an out-and-out genre picture thanWe Own the Night, in whichJoaquin Phoenix’s chintzy night-club owner is forced to work with his family of cops when he crosses the wrong partner. It’s here that Gray tries his hand at a car chase and though it’s not as long as those inThe Seven-UpsorBullitt, it’s just as tense and unpredictable as those. While being transported to a safe house, Phoenix’s doped-up hustler and his NYPD detail are descended upon by a cadre of hitmen and things get hectic right quick. Gray paces the entire sequence with masterful confidence, staying with Phoenix even as the hitmen go after other cars in the detail, radiating a feeling of helplessness. The sequence may not be iconic but anyone who can spot smart filmmaking that isn’t overtly showy will rightly be riveted. -Chris Cabin
The French Connection
There are two kinds of car chases: Ones where everything is carefully choreographed and the cars smoothly glide around, making hairpin turns and delicate movements, and then there’s smash-em-up. I prefer smash-em-up, and Popeye Doyle’s (Gene Hackman) car gets pretty well ruined as he tries to keep up with a subway train. There’s alsoWilliam Friedkinbrilliant camera angles, especially the low ones that put us right to the ground and keep the action humming. It’s a taut, brutal bit of filmmaking that trades in both exhilaration and dread. —Matt Goldberg
To Live and Die in L.A.
William Friedkin’s counterfeit noir set to aWang Chungscore is most known 30+ years later for being the first film to shoot the always exciting, extremely dangerous driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-interstate chase scene. What everyone forgets is that there’s also a great 4-minute chase scene from a shipping warehouse, next to a train, across the train tracks and into the dry LA riverbed all achieved prior to ever getting to the interstate. Friedkin films a great chase scene as a segue to a you’ve-never-seen-this-before gridlock mess. Much like Friedkin’sThe French Connectionbefore it, this is a very realistic looking chase. No one is completely calm and collected, the camera frequently rests at the car’s POV as opposed to fetishizing the vehicle itself and the driving you’re rooting for (William L. Patterson) let’s out a scream and a fist pump when he’s able to get away by causing a three-land wreck. It’s a great chase scene that’s two great chases scenes.
Here are some fun facts about how they did it. Friedkin chose to shoot this entire sequence last because if any of his main actor’s got hurt they’d have all the drama in the can already and it’d be easier to figure out how to replace them in the car scenes. It took six weeks to shoot the entire six-minute sequence and the camerawork, though stellar, wasn’t done by the main cinematographer,Robby Müller. Mülller said he didn’t know how to stage such a sequence, this being his first major action film after lensing artistic and chatty fare for Jim Jarmusch and Wim Wenders, previously. So the second unit cinematographer,Robert Yeoman, shot the chase sequence, and he eventually went on to become an acclaimed artistic and chatty cinematographer himself, shooting every Wes Anderson film from 1995 to present. No looking back.— Brian Formo
The Blues Brothers
When it comes to smash-em-up car chases, it’s hard to beatThe Blues Brothers.John Landis’ comedy revels in everything it can destroy, and it destroys just about everything. The trip through the mall is particularly delightful as Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Akyroyd) casually drive through and past the stores, dryly making observations as the cop cars smash everything around them. It’s a fun way to present their zen-like attitude towards the world while still highlighting the madcap mayhem that comes in their wake. —Matt Goldberg
Thrilling asJohn Frankenheimer’s chase through Paris is, bless him for how many shots he included of the driver of each car so that we’re aware that it ain’t as easy as it looks.Robert De Nirois in one car, stiff and stunned, looking like he’s working his way through the most painful bowel movement imaginable andNatasha McElhoneis in the other, hair whipping about and mouth agape, her eyes saying “how long until the next exit?!” This is another driving-backwards-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-interstate chase scene, but in my memory, this is the only one that goes all the way to the end of line—ending in a construction zone where a new ramp is being built. No wonder De Niro looks like he’s gonna shit his pants.
With this scene Frankenheimer, who shot the sequel to Friedkin’sThe French Connection, gives us a mini-sequel and locale change to Friedkin’sTo Live and Die in L.A. It’s complete with a joke that isn’t translated, as the two cars race past a sign that says, in French, “driving school."— Brian Formo
The Seven-Ups
New York’s answer toBullitt. Well, okay, that’sThe French Connection, but save a little room and praise for this undervalued, wildly entertaining police thriller fromPhilip D’Antoni, who produced both the aforementioned classics. Whatever D’Antoni learned from producing those movies came in handy forThe Seven-Ups, which climaxes with a 10-minute-plus chase through lower Manhattan that runs out onto the highway and out toward New Jersey by the time it ends. The smartest thing here is D’Antoni’s smart choice to go without music and not overselling the thrill ofRoy Scheider’s alpha-cop catching up to the criminal diptych that shot his colleague. For much of the chase, one is simply gripped by the maneuvering, the sound of the wheels and the road, and the desire to see justice done, which is all a talented filmmaker would need to make a sequence fly like this. —Matt Goldberg
The Matrix Reloaded
While the film itself has some problems, and the effects (particularly the digital stunt doubles) haven’t aged all that well, this is still an outstanding car chase, and one that could only be done in aMatrixmovie. Not only is there a sound narrative reason for why this wasn’t attempted in the first film, it uses the unique threat of agents jumping between bodies and how every car can instantly become a weapon as the heroes try to reach their destination. There are fights inside the cars, there are the Twins (boring as characters, but useful as part of the set piece), and all other kinds of fun thing that would be impossible in any other kind of film. It’s the only car chase in the entireMatrixtrilogy, and the Wachowskis made it count. —Matt Goldberg
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
It ain’t easy chroreographing and filming an extensive, intricate car chase sequence in live-action films, so imagine just how difficult it was to put Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) behind the wheel of the animated Benny the Cab. Adding to the difficulty was the inclusion of the animated Weasels in pursuit, driving a very real paddy wagon, one which collides with a pair of motorcycle-riding stunt cops. It’s insane that this thing ever came together at all.
While the chase inWho Framed Roger Rabbitis decidedly less adrenaline-pumping than others on this list, it is arguably the most fun. Cartoon antics abound when it comes to Benny’s comic dashboard and the various gadgets he employs, like extendable tires that let him ride right over the top of the villainous Weasels. There’s tremendous technical achievement behind the short sequence which remains a helluva fun ride.– Dave Trumbore
