Cinematic & TV Chases That Stir The Blood.

[GHT]

Favourite is a word I refrained from, there's so many that to have a favourite implies that others come nowhere near, apart from that, my American spell checker scolds my spelling of favourite.
The chase in Bullitt, has got to be one of the most watched/quoted/enjoyed. And without doubt, the car chase in The French Connection is just as famous. Just recently I watched the Lone Ranger remake, some chase that was. But for now, I'm going to choose an animated short film in The Wallace & Gromit series, I'm not sure if it's shown outside the UK, but I know the animator did have a connection with Disney, so it's possible.

 

[Fading Fast]

Definitely the scene in "Bullitt" has it all*.

But another one I've always loved is the scene in "48 Hours" where Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy - in Nolte's "piece of sh*t sky blue Cadillac" (to quote Murphy) chase Ganz and Billy Bear who have stolen a city bus.

What takes this one up a big notch is the massive gun battle that goes on throughout the chase. Ganz and Nolte seem to have handguns just smaller than the size of cannons and all three have those Hollywood-supplied guns that have endless rounds of ammunition that sound like small arms fire with each shot.

As the scene moves along, the Cadillac and bus bang into each other repeatedly as all three exchange constant fire with bus' safety windows shattering constantly. The scene ends as the bus finally uses its full mass to careen Nolte's behemoth of an old, beat-up Cadillac into the plate-glass window of a new Cadillac dealership.

It doesn't have the cool vibe, the hunter-prey drama, or emotionally draining duration of the "Bullitt" chase scene, but it is still one heck of a heart-pumping one.

*Given the choice between living a long, fulfilling, happy and normal life with good family and friends or being as cool as Steve McQueen is in "Bullitt" for a day, I'm not sure that I'd make the adult decision.

 

[Stearmen]

Maybe not the best, but certainly one of the funniest! I can tell you, you haven't lived until you drive a car, or ride a motorcycle in a mall!

 

[Stearmen]

Original The Italian Job. You could only do this with original Mini's!

 

[Bamaboots]

 

[Lean'n'mean]

There's somethin' sexy about a gal driving like a guy..

 

[LizzieMaine]

The climactic chase in Harold Lloyd's "Girl Shy" (1924) is the ultima thule of movie chases -- in his efforts to rescue the aforementioned Girl, Harold uses, in sequence, every form of transportation at his disposal, including several different horses, a delivery wagon, various stolen or carjacked cars, a fire engine, a policeman's motorcycle -- which he steals from the cop who is in the process of writing him a ticket and finally a stolen trolley car, which he pilots from its roof. And he doesn't end up in jail.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

^^^^
Is this the one Lizzie ?

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's a reworking of the same idea three years later, but in the same spirit. "Girl Shy" was the chase to end all chases -- it consumed the last two reels of the film, about twenty minutes running time.

"Speedy," however, is an excellent picture too -- much of its action was filmed on location in New York, and you get to see a lot of authentic streetscapes along with the action.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Ok then let's go for it, the chase sorta starts at 55:45......the music is pretty darn good too...

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's the one. For my money, it's Lloyd's best film.

 

[Fading Fast]

That's a reworking of the same idea three years later, but in the same spirit. "Girl Shy" was the chase to end all chases -- it consumed the last two reels of the film, about twenty minutes running time.

"Speedy," however, is an excellent picture too -- much of its action was filmed on location in New York, and you get to see a lot of authentic streetscapes along with the action.

⇧ so, by 1927, ideas were already being heavily recycled in Hollywood. Of course they were, just funny to think about it.

And you are so right, that sequence is worth it just for the NYC time travel alone.

Funny to think that the Brooklyn Bridge was already 44 years old when this movie was made. This movie's iconic shot of the bridge - from that exact angle - has been used in countless movies every decade since.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

Friedkin's "To Live and Die in L.A." (1985) has a freeway chase where the cops are chasing the bad guys while going the wrong direction i.e. they are chasing westward in an eastbound lane. I have no idea how they set this up but it was virtuoso car-wrangling.

 

[basbol13]

There's somethin' sexy about a gal driving like a guy..

Except for Robert Deniro who looks scared out of his wits and the fact that you never see him visually shifting gears, let's face it the streets in Europe are not conducive to all out driving, the stuntmen did a fantastic job.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The neat thing about Bullitt's chase scene is that it builds. It doesn't just slam into gear: The first few minutes are tension-building cat-and-mouse between the two killers in the Charger and Bullitt's Mustang. Then, boom!

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

For a rare movie using a foot chase, watch "Naked Prey," (1965). Loosely based on the story of mountain man John Colter, who was captured, stripped and made to run by the Blackfoot, the story is transferred to 19th century Africa, where Cornel Wilde, playing a game guide, is captured and likewise stripped and given a head start, to be pursued by armed warriors for sport. He outruns them and kills them one by one, though not without harm to himself. Wilde, who was in real life a world-class fencer, brings a visceral reality to the chase and fight scenes, on one occasion escaping evisceration by sucking in his belly as a spear is thrust, making it miss by a fraction of an inch. A rare and interesting movie, maybe not too politically correct in this era (though the European "sportsmen" Wilde is guiding are total azzoles, and nobody mourns their gruesome demises.)

 

[DNO]

For a rare movie using a foot chase, watch "Naked Prey," (1965). Loosely based on the story of mountain man John Colter, who was captured, stripped and made to run by the Blackfoot, the story is transferred to 19th century Africa, where Cornel Wilde, playing a game guide, is captured and likewise stripped and given a head start, to be pursued by armed warriors for sport. He outruns them and kills them one by one, though not without harm to himself. Wilde, who was in real life a world-class fencer, brings a visceral reality to the chase and fight scenes, on one occasion escaping evisceration by sucking in his belly as a spear is thrust, making it miss by a fraction of an inch. A rare and interesting movie, maybe not too politically correct in this era (though the European "sportsmen" Wilde is guiding are total azzoles, and nobody mourns their gruesome demises.)

You're right about Naked Prey. The whole movie is a chase scene. The 'roasting over the fire' scene always made my flesh crawl!

Vehicle-wise, I've never been a great fan of car chase scenes but I do usually enjoy the car/subway chase in The French Connection.

 

[Stearmen]

Speaking of one long chase scene, The Great Race 1965 and Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines 1965!

 

[Stearmen]

Another one long chase scene, Gumball Rally 1976. Based on the real Cannonball race in 1971, won by Dan Gurney and Brock Yates driving a Ferrari Daytona at speeds of over 180mph on public highways. Those were the days! Still my favorite car scene ever, love the cops comment.

 

[MisterCairo]

Maybe not the best, but certainly one of the funniest! I can tell you, you haven't lived until you drive a car, or ride a motorcycle in a mall!

"Pier One Imports?! They've got EVERYTHING in this mall!"