By Jason Dean
June 12, 2003
I received the following feedback from a reader:
.... I like to see how other people’s minds from different backgrounds think. I think somethings are universal though and so I would like to see a A-List of best car chases. Doesn’t necessarily have to be chases just best um... car action sequences I guess. ...
KD
This sounded like an excellent topic and was something that I’d briefly considered as a tie-in to The Italian Job; however, I couldn’t immediately come up with a list of applicable films. By the time KD’s request arrived and I had a chance to reflect on the possibilities, I wound up being the very definition of the classic cliché, “He who hesitates is lost.” In other words, I wound up spending too much time thinking about the topic and wound up having to change gears slightly due to the fact that Entertainment Weekly went to press with their top ten car chases while I was pondering. Anyway, in my typical method of not looking at a subject in a standard way, what started out as a list of car chases mutated into action sequences that feature land vehicles.
Further tweaking the standard format, I’m going to start with some movies that didn’t make the list.
Finding myself somewhere between Box Office Prophet extremes (didn’t hate it, though I thought that some action sequences were too much of a good thing), I’ll start with a mention of The Matrix Reloaded. I have some problems with the use of CGI in the freeway sequence, but at the same time I will acknowledge that an impressive amount of work was done with cars and stunt drivers as well as the actors themselves. If one builds a freeway for a movie, one is bound to use it.
In a complete reversal of the CGI criticism above, we then head to the entirely computer created visions of Tron and the light cycles. There were tanks and the Solar Sailer, but neither of those packed the visual and audio whollop of seeing those bikes on the big screen for the first time. Enclosed frames, huge wheels, and a no-parking problem compress to a handlebar storage solution made for the ultimate bike. Along with that feature, there were also snazzy neon colors and then a 90-degree turning ability while on the game grid. Good times, good times.
Next are two variants on the theme as we take time to pay tribute to For Your Eyes Only and Robocop 2. These fail to make the grade as they are single scene rather than any type of sequence. Still, the Lotus Turbo Esprit and its self destruct anti-theft system along with the Magnavolt lethal anti-theft device are definitely worthy of mention.
Heading toward more traditional sequences but just failing to make the grade due to the primarily non-theatrical release format are the short films starring Clive Owen in BMW’s The Hire series. These shorts feature excellent action sequences as well one of the coolest actors currently in the business.
Moving on to the actual list, we start with...
Ronin
New and yet old, the film features classic style car chases coupled with heist style planning. These attributes make the car sequences some of the best in recent times.
Speed
I debated this one, and in the end decided it was worthy. In addition, as the column evolved to include more than simple car chases, a bus that is not really being chased seemed to perfectly fit the topic. The movie is essentially three action set pieces with the bus scene having the most screen time of the three. In addition to having relatively believable yet suspenseful and engaging action sequences as the bus winds its way across the Los Angeles area, Speed also helps to create A-List stars out of Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. There will be those who doubt that this was a good thing but Neo had to start some place, and c’mon, doesn’t everybody like Sandy?
Terminator 2
This sequence is relatively straightforward, but at the same time, the chase sequence toward the start of the movie has a tanker truck and motorcycle instead of just basic cars. A lot of crazy stuff happens as the tanker truck is put through things that one would think impossible for a vehicle that size. It’s also one of the first times that we see Arnie’s T-800 showcase its one handed, re-cocking, spin of the shotgun move.
Goldeneye
One of the movies that truly takes advantage of the leeway granted in the second part of the topic suggestion, Goldeneye was the first Brosnan Bond film and was credited with bringing new life to the series. The tank sequence fits this A-List along with showing the willingness of Goldeneye to do the classic Bond things but in a new way. Every Bond film has a car chase sequence but how many have a tank chase? There’s also the home theater fun of how this sequence sounds in full surround + subwoofer glory.
Final Destination 2
There are no tanks here, just a relatively ho-hum logging truck and a freeway full of cars...oh, and a bus. No chase, either. What we do have is one of the most realistic and horrific multiple crash sequences ever put to film. It made me think about walking home despite the fact that as the Missing Persons sang, “Only a nobody would walk in LA.”
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
The final entry is the last one because it is arguably the most removed from the original topic. Again, there are no chases unless one counts the chase planes and a rocket car (actually I think it’s highly made-up truck, which makes it even more fun) being driven by the brain surgeon, rock star, and head of the Hong Kong Cavaliers...well, we’ve clearly left the realm of even the movie standard world. What we do have is Buckaroo Banzai attempting to speed test a rocket car, veering sharply from the predetermined course, and then driving straight through a mountain via the Eighth Dimension thanks to his handy Oscillation Overthruster. If you’ve never seen the movie, that statement probably makes zero sense, but ever since I caught part of the flick late at night in its super extreme close up pan and scan, I’ve been a fan of the absolute craziness that is Buckaroo Banzai.
I realize that I have omitted classic movies such as the French Connection and Bullit as well as perhaps not as classic, but definitely had their sequences movies like Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run. Perhaps it’s just my age (or lack of) but they just don’t come immediately to mind like the others that I have listed. Write in and make your case and prove me wrong as I’ve shown before that I’m more than willing to admit that I’ve missed worthy entries to a list and make the addition in future columns.
On that note, as a close, I’d like to say that I missed Young Poisoner’s Handbook on the black comedies list. Well, at least I thought it was funny, the person with whom I watched it looked at me funny for about the whole second half of the movie and then wouldn’t eat anything I’d prepared for a few days.
