Here’s your appetizer for this one:
Ah, the movie genre that is committed to the great American car chase. Aside from Smokey, Reynolds also did a couple Cannonball Runs, but they definitely don’t have what I consider to be the best car chase scenes. A few of my favorites:
Bullitt (1968)
It’s hard to say there’s one better than this. Between the sounds of the engines from the Mustang Fastback and the Charger, to the tension that builds throughout, this is a classic.
Baby Driver (2017)
Have to admit, I like the music and I like the car chase scenes. Campy, but has a good enough story to keep you engaged and it’s filmed in Atlanta. Guess I’m still a sucker for things like that.
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Just a very tense one, as you can see, with William Peterson’s character contemplating life and trying to find any way out throughout the chase, only to do a wrong way on a busy highway to cause enough of a mess to bring the whole thing to an end.
How about you? What’s your favorite car chase scene from a movie that comes to mind?
Discuss.
Bullitt. Man, after watching that as a young boy, all I ever wanted when I got older was a green fastback mustang. Never happened, but a boy can always dream.
Re-watched Bullitt a while back, paired with a couple Hop Bullets from Sierra Nevada. Held up. I was surprised, tbh. I’ve been really surprised how old school movies hold up in all genres. And YES! These movies couls get expensive if you start going down muscle car rabbit holes and moving some money around, lol
Mudcat’s car in Athens & now, evidently, in Twiggs County.🤣
Smokey and the bandit was filmed around Jonesboro when I was growing up there. Burt rented a house a mile from me. I vaguely remember them filming. It’s crazy to watch that movie and see how much has changed in Jonesboro.
Nothing was cooler than the general lee jumping whatever to get away from Roscoe.
I graduated from Forest Park; Jonesboro was our biggest rival at the time. There were only 4 high schools in the county then.
The French Connection has a good one where Gene Hackman twists a lot of sheet metal.
#1Smokey and the Bandit
honorable mentions
Blues Brothers
Bourne identity
Casino Royale
https://youtu.be/mIuQ3E5EeUs?si=dzaY99TSVSVgPSb8
Worth it.
Some not yet mentionefd, Ronnin, French Connection, Thunder Road, Italian Job (original), Gumball Rally, the Bourne Movies had some good ones
Don’t forget Vanishing Point, Dirty Mary & Crazy Larry and Death Proof. Car chase movies is my favorite genre.
Definitely the original Vanishing Point. I liked when Audioslave made the video for “Show Me How to Live” with scenes from the movie embedded.
https://youtu.be/vVXIK1xCRpY?si=wKE9zQdBKzx2P1jf
As a kid, I didn’t know the yellow Charger getting hit by a train during the intro of the ‘Fall Guy’ TV series was a scene from ‘Dirty Mary & Crazy Larry’. I didn’t the see the movie until the late 80s.
I had one of those “DeCaprio pointing at the TV” meme moments after seeing the end of the movie.
Fun read if anyone is as big of a fan of this genre as I am:
https://www.amazon.com/Hick-Flicks-Rise-Redneck-Cinema/dp/0786419970