Car chases and driving scenes are the highlight of action movies. A skilful stunt can add to the drama of a movie but a badly cut driving scene or unrealistic trick can ruin the storyline. The key to a creating a good driving scene is clever driving, a skilful stunt team and some special effects. We have picked our ten favourite driving movie scenes – check them out below and let us know which ones are your favourite!
Casino Royale (2006)
The stunt team on the James Bond movie Casino Royale managed to get their Aston Martin DB9 to roll an amazing seven times, with the help of a huge air cannon. Check out the clip that documents the stunt and keep an eye on the stunt woman who stays in place as the car flips over her!
Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
The 1974 original of this film features a spectacular 34-minute chase sequence over Long Beach, California. The film set out to exhilarate viewers in movie theatres and to destroy as many cars as possible. In total, 93 cars were destroyed in the making of the film – we really hope they had a good car insurance policy! Check out the trailer and you’ll see an amazing collection of Mustangs, Rolls-Royces and Cadillac limos which make up the list that car thief “Toby” is given to steal for a South American drug lord.
The Italian Job (1969)
This film features one of the most famous lines of all time: Michael Caine’s “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” But we’ve included the film in our top ten for the famous car chase featuring three red, white and blue Minis motoring through the tight streets of Turin, Italy.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Matt Damon’s car chase through the narrow streets of Paris is definitely one of our favourites. He very cunningly escapes the police cars and motorbikes in what can only be described as an “old banger” of a car. Our favourite bit is when he explains that they’ve “got a bump coming up” and then drives down a steep staircase!
Grease (1978)
The car race in Grease is an “edge of your seat” experience and oozes coolness. For these reasons, and because watching Grease is a teenage rite of passage, we’ve included it in our top ten!
Bullitt (1968)
Bullitt is constantly voted one of the best car movies of all time. In the 1968 classic, real-life racing enthusiast Steve McQueen chases after bad guys on the streets of San Francisco in an epically cool 1968 Ford Mustang. This is a must-see film for car enthusiasts!
Wanted (2008)
If you love a bit of Hollywood action then you will understand why we have included Wanted on our list. Check out the car chase in the video, in which Angelia Jolie drives whilst hanging out the window and shooting at the police!
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
This movie is filled with supercars and extremely sleek stunts, many of which involve drifting. This is when the driver intentionally over-steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner. This makes for some exciting car races and viewing!
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Check out the Astro Spiral jump in The Man with the Golden Gun. Don’t know what an Astro Spiral jump is? It’s when James Bond’s AMC Hornet X jumps off one ramp, performs a complete 360-degree barrel roll in mid-air as it crosses a river, lands on another ramp and drives off undamaged. What’s even more impressive is that there were no CGI, wires, etc. The Astro Spiral jump was developed by Raymond R. McHenry of the Calspan Corporation at Cornell University. Using a computer simulation program, he calculated how the ramps would have to be twisted, what speed the car needed to achieve, and how the car should be modified. Amazing!
Drive (2011)
One of the most recent movie scenes in our top ten is from Drive. This wasn’t added just because we love Ryan Gosling, but instead because of the high-speed car chase after his character’s robbery job goes wrong.
For more awesome driving scenes have a browse through our video playlist below, and don’t forget to leave a comment with your own recommendations!
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June 18, 2012
Movies