Top 10 Movie Car Chases
#10- The Getaway “Drive” (2011)
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Jump-starting our list is the opening scene from the film where Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver by day, and getaway driver by night. Calmly gripping the wheel of his silver Impala, he monitors the police while chewing on a toothpick, cunningly dodging capture. A gripping chase, this one is unique for not relying on excessive danger or massive damage, but stealth and patience instead. Of course, speed had its place too, as well as a brilliantly timed escape plan!
#9- Freeway Chase “The Matrix Reloaded” (2003)
Seeking an exit from the Matrix, Morpheus and Trinity are pursued by killer glitch programs, police and agents. In their desperation, they do what they’ve always been told not to and venture onto the Freeway. The result is a ton of slow motion, broken glass and a killer beats. No real freeway was available for the 3-month shoot, so the production team built a one-and-a-half mile long stretch on an old runway! Looks real doesn’t it? That’s just the extra CGI talking…
#8- Mini Heist “The Italian Job” (1968)
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In this flick, three Austin Mini Coopers were chosen to nimbly transport millions of dollars of stolen gold! Shot in Turin, the resulting scene made stunt coordinator Remy Julienne an industry legend. Overall, this chase involved 18 mini coopers and involved rushing through pedestrian areas, down stairs, over a damn, through a sewer and into a truck! Not bad, considering that that much gold should technically weigh more then the vehicles themselves!
#7- Briefcase Pursuit “Ronin” (1998)
This chase stars Robert DeNiro as a mercenary tasked with recovering a briefcase. Racing past Paris landmarks and into a tunnel, his pursuit causes a brutal pile up, before he’s hastily forced to enter another tunnel in reverse! What makes this pursuit a standout, aside from the lack of a distracting soundtrack, is that this chase placed actors in the cars, and relied on practical effects despite the availability of CGI.
#6- Train Chase “The French Connection” (1971)
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When a fleeing hit man escapes on an el-train, the detective in pursuit refuses to give up. Getting behind the wheel of his beat-up Pontiac, he races to catch his man. A production from another era, the iconic high-speed scene was shot without a permit, or extras! This meant that all of the bystanders were real! While it looks like it was meticulously planned, it actually benefitted from countless so called “happy accidents.” They really don’t make em’ like they used to.
#5- The Aquaduct “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)
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In this pulse pounding and deadly chase, the T-1000 uses an eighteen-wheeler to pursue a dirt bike riding John Connor. Committed to running the boy down, the chase ends up in a 40-foot wide Los Angeles aqueduct. Fortunately, a stuntman posing as Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up and saves the day, preventing John from sharing the same fate as those abandoned shopping carts.
#4- Paris Chase “The Bourne Identity” (2002)
In this amnesiac spy thriller, a what is now vintage Austin Mini Cooper is used to evade the police and CIA by high tailing it through the traffic heavy streets of Paris. Along the way five different vintage Mini’s had to be used for the stunts, with only one surviving the ride. This high-speed spectacle included side streets, tight passageways, stairs and sidewalks and was made all the more immersive with its gritty handheld style.
#3- Mission From God “The Blues Brothers” (1980)
When a paroled convict and his brother take on the quest of saving an orphanage from foreclosure, they end up in big trouble. Undeterred, they evade cops through a high-speed chase around a parking lot and through a shopping mall in their “Bluesmobile”. Ultimately, they manage to send every police car flying into a ditch, with a total 70 cars destroyed during the shoot in Chigago.
#2- The Convoy “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” (1981)
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In this post-apocalyptic chase, a gang of filthy marauders chase a convoy led by Mel Gibson, who’s, supposedly, escorting a precious fuel tanker to safety. Fighting atop moving cars, motorcycles and trucks, this scene is 20 minutes long and it considered one of the most hectic and outrageous ever filmed. It includes Molotov Cocktails, grappling hooks, crossbows, flipping cars and ass-less chaps. It is also, awesome.
#1- The Mustang Chase “Bullitt” (1968)
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Taking the lead on our list the grandfather of all modern chases. A high-speed pursuit between Steve McQueen and a pair of deadly assassins, it starts on the streets of San Francisco and ends up on the highway. The scene lasts 10 minutes and is ultra realistic, gritty, and featured stunt drivers hitting speeds over 100 mph while making harrowing maneuvers. Seriously, don’t even try this in a video game.
Agree with our list? Which high-speed pursuit had your engine revving? For other entertaining top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
