This week I saw a screening of Need for Speed based on the video game of the same name. Aaron Paul plays (Toby Marshall) a body shop owner who races cars on the side. After a race goes bad and one of his friends gets killed he takes his anger out on and old rival. Dominic Cooper plays (Dino Brewster) a rich kid who has everything and races expensive cars. Micheal Keaton plays (Monarch) a man who sets up a big underground race called the De-Leon and he invites both Toby and Dino into the race. Imogen Poots, Kid Cudi and Rami Malek round out the cast as friends Finn and Julia Maddon a romantic interest of Toby. With the idea of fast cars and racing in my mind I thought what are my favorite car chase movies. Need for Speed has got to be on that list in my opinion. so here are 10 of my other favorite car chases in movie history.
10. I would have to say if you don’t have the Fast and Furious franchise as some of your best car chases in movie history your just not very in formative about movies. Vin Diesel plays (Dominic Toretto) and Paul Walker plays (Brian O’Conner) as two members of a group of crooks and car thieves. Others in the cast are Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludicris Bridges and Dwayne The Rock Johnson. There have been 6 Fast and Furious movies with a 7th on the way.
9.The Italian Job has had two movies. One back in 1969 starring Michael Caine and another one in 2003 starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, and Jason Statham and Seth Green. Mini Coopers were driving everywhere in these tow heist movies.
8.Once again we have a movie that has been remade and that is Gone In 60 Seconds. The first one came out back in 1974. The second one came out back in 2000 and stars Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Robert Duvall and Giovanni Ribisi,
7.Burt Reynolds was in two of my favorite car chase movies back in the seventies and eighties. The first was Cannonball Run. About a long distance race across the country. The was Smokey and the Bandit about a local town wise guys who run afowl of the law and the lawman. The lawman was played brilliantly by Jackie Gleason.
6.Spy movies usually have great special effects and part of that goes amazing car chases. One of those great spy movie franchises is The Bourne Franchise. Matt Damon portrays (Jason Bourne) in The Bourne Identity,The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum. Jerremy Renner portrays Arron Cross in The Bourne Lagacy.
5. Quentin Tarantino and Nicolas Winding Refn direct two modern car chase movies. Death Proof is a throwback to the seventies car chase movies starring Kurt Russell. Drive starring Ryan Gosling is a slick, brilliant, exciting modern day car chase movie.
4.The Blues Brothers is a classic in every sense of the word. Jake and Elwood Blues are the two bothers played brilliantly by Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. They go on a mission and in that they have one of the best car chases in movie history through the streets of Chicago.
3. Ronin has a great cast. Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgard star in this thriller that never stops surprising because of the twists and turns. That is a literal statement because the car chase in this movie goes through all kinds of twists and turns in the streets of Russia.
2. Steve McQueen is one of the great acter of his time but, the movie that defines his career is Bullitt. It is a fast paced thrill ride with great car chases.
1. My favorite car chase movie is an Oscar winner for great character actor Gene Hackman as (Popeye Doyle) as well as Best Picture for the movie. Also starring Roy Schneider as Popeye’s partner in this thriller. Filmed on the streets of New York City, The French Connection has some thrilling car chases in this movie based on a true story.
Car chase movie are some of the most exciting and thrilling films to date. You can tell when you have such good actors attached to these types of films. One thing I can say , when you want action and non stop thrill rides you will always find them in movies with great car chases.
Dan Skip Allen
From the Fourth Row! 