We know that Bullitt, The Blues Brothers, The French Connection, Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) and The Italian Job (1969) set the standard for high speed car chase scenes on film, so I thought I’d put together 10 of my favourite (recent) car chase scenes.
Robyn’s 10 car chase scenes
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) – The Shelby GT 500 is really the star of the movie even if it’s to watch Nicolas Cage being chased down an alley going backwards by a BMW 5 Series.
Italian Job (2003) – Racing or escaping in Mini Coopers through the streets of Los Angeles and in a subway, while also creating the biggest traffic jam to steal a truck carrying gold is fun to watch even if it’s just for Mark Wahlberg. I did find the boat chase along the canal in Venice quite a thrill too.
The Fast and the Furious (plus sequels) – A dedicated street racing film with a small subplot. Who really came to watch the story? I’m thinking the main attractions were the racing scenes featuring actors Paul Walker and Vin Diesel
The Bourne Identity – racing in a classic Mini through the streets in Paris, down stairs and against the traffic along the River Seine. Yep, this film is still one of my favourites and the chase scene adds to that action.
The Bourne Supremacy – High speed car chase in a local taxi through the streets of Moscow, while reading a map up against a Mercedes G Class is part of the reasons why the Bourne trilogy rocks.
James Bond: Die Another Day – The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish takes on the Jaguar XKR on ice. Crap movie. Great scene.
James Bond: Quantum of Solace – Watch this scene in HD and it will blow your mind. Sienna, Italy is the location for the opening high speed chase with the Aston Martin DBS vs two Alfa Romeo 156s. It really is a hell of a start to the most recent James Bond film.
Matrix Reloaded – No matter what people say about CGI vs filming… On the 1,5 mile constructed highway at an old air field in California this chase scene still kicks ass. And then there is the destruction of the GM cars…
Wanted – Angelina Jolie pushing the windshield out and then proceeding to shoot from the bonnet. Super average. Nobody’s even bothered to put it on Youtube.
Ronin – Robert De Niro has the look of fear during both car chases in Ronin where we see the Audi S8, Mercedes Benz 450 SEL, a Peugeot and BMW 5 Series all working to their max in the streets of France.
So what would you say are your top 10? Let me know below.