# car chases.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876 "2006-12-04T22:45:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/1 "2006-12-04T22:45:34Z")
Car chases, valuable movie excitement or tired old cliche? ---
**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/2 "2006-12-04T22:48:59Z")
sorry, should probably elaborate. Do you LIKE car chases in your movies? Or do you think that moviedom in general would benefit if this piece of action fluff was removed from the scene? (In case it’s not obvious, I’m not fond of them.) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/3 "2006-12-04T22:56:20Z")
Depends on the chase fits the movie (e.g.: pretty much every movie Steve McQueen ever made) or is just _there_ (e.g.: the last few Bond movies before this latest one). ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/4 "2006-12-04T23:36:36Z")
Car chases are out, though aren’t they? I don’t remember seeing any in the 0’s (are they called that?) The 0’s are the most serious decade in movie making ever, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/5 "2006-12-05T00:10:47Z")
[QUOTE=rabbit] Do you LIKE car chases in your movies? Or do you think that moviedom in general would benefit if this piece of action fluff was removed from the scene? [/QUOTE] Car chases, like any other action sequence, can be good or dull, depending on how they fit into the movie and how well they’re filled. In many films, they are (just like gunfights and explosions), inane filler. Filmed correctly, as in the Frankenheimer action masterpieces _[Grand Prix](http://imdb.com/title/tt0060472/)_ or _[Ronin](http://imdb.com/title/tt0122690/)_, and they can be raised to high art. The current _[Casino Royale](http://imdb.com/title/tt0381061/)_, as mentioned, has a fantastic chase sequence involving a fuel truck which is reminiscent and compares favorably to the famous “Truck? What truck?” sequence in _[Raiders Of The Lost Ark](http://imdb.com/title/tt0082971/)_. If your exposure to chase scenes is limited to the likes of _The Fast and The Furious_ though (I refuse to link to it) then I can understand why you’d consider them superfluous. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/6 "2006-12-05T00:14:37Z")
You’d lose some of the best part of the film if you cut the car chase out of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/7 "2006-12-05T00:26:47Z")
[QUOTE=Stuffy] You’d lose some of the best part of the film if you cut the car chase out of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. [/QUOTE] I think that was the best part of that film. I’m still a little perplexed, however, as to how they got from suburban New York to Los Angeles (obviously the 110 Freeway) inside of a few minutes. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/8 "2006-12-05T00:45:07Z")
I was in a real life car chase once. Exciting stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/9 "2006-12-05T01:13:12Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] I think that was the best part of that film. I’m still a little perplexed, however, as to how they got from suburban New York to Los Angeles (obviously the 110 Freeway) inside of a few minutes. Stranger [/QUOTE] Simple, they took a left at Albuquerque. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/10 "2006-12-05T01:41:40Z")
I think the answer is that car chases are great if done well. The chases in The Transporter were very cool, although pretty unbelievable. I know The Color Purple that I was dragged to when I was a kid would have been MUCH MUCH MUCH better with a car chase or two. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/11 "2006-12-05T18:56:55Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] Car chases, like any other action sequence, can be good or dull, depending on how they fit into the movie and how well they’re filled. In many films, they are (just like gunfights and explosions), inane filler. Filmed correctly, as in the Frankenheimer action masterpieces _[Grand Prix](http://imdb.com/title/tt0060472/)_ or _[Ronin](http://imdb.com/title/tt0122690/)_, and they can be raised to high art. [/QUOTE] Some movies manage to have good chases _and_ bad chases. For example, _Driven_ is full of entertaining race scenes, but is marred by that ridiculous chase in downtown Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/12 "2006-12-05T19:12:00Z")
Other great car chases include _The French Connections_, _The Bourne Supremacy_ and, of course, _The Blues Brothers_. Mostly, I dislike car chases, but I can acknowledge one well done. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/13 "2006-12-05T20:59:33Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] Other great car chases include _The French Connections_, _The Bourne Supremacy_ and, of course, _The Blues Brothers_. Mostly, I dislike car chases, but I can acknowledge one well done. [/QUOTE] My only complaint about the car chase in _The Bourne Supremacy_ was I started getting motion sick. _The Blues Brothers_ does have the best car chase _EVER!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/14 "2006-12-05T21:24:25Z")
The best car chases all go through Chinatown; you gotta have flapping chickens and babbling stereotypes for a real car chase. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/15 "2006-12-05T21:51:32Z")
[QUOTE=mr. jp] Car chases are out, though aren’t they? I don’t remember seeing any in the 0’s (are they called that?) The 0’s are the most serious decade in movie making ever, I think. [/QUOTE] it occurs to me you are probably not serious. The 00s did usher in the age of a car chase involving a car-carrier truck launching it’s car out the back at high speed. Bad Boys II comes to mind but I know there are others. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/16 "2006-12-07T20:15:41Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] The 00s did usher in the age of a car chase involving a car-carrier truck launching it’s car out the back at high speed. Bad Boys II comes to mind but I know there are others. [/QUOTE] Taking that Humvee downhill was pretty good–unless it was an H2. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/17 "2006-12-07T20:25:40Z")
Movie car chases are like drum solos in the middle of songs. Very cool, very fun, but sometimes they go on far too long and nothing can really “happen” until it’s over. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/18 "2006-12-07T20:29:58Z")
What absolutely kills a car chase is editing that is too quick. Was it The Rock that has a Hummer chasing a Ferrari through San Fran? Can’t miss, right? Wrong. Cut to car spinning around corner. Cut to Hummer jumping a hill. Cut to car accellerating away. Cut to Hummer slamming into a parked car. You couldn’t even tell they were in the same city, much less on the same road. The strength of a car chase like _Ronin_ was a lot of the long shots, and the faraway shots. You need some perspective. I’m a fan of a good car chase, but I like drama, danger, driver skill. It helps if the point of the chase carries some weight. When you see a chase in a Bruckheimer movie, it’s usually liek “big deal”. The whole movie involves putting a guy into shit and then bailing him out of it. Whether he gets away in the chase is immaterial. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/19 "2006-12-07T23:23:23Z")
I was at the opening of Mad Max and I guess to some whippersnapper action moviefans it seems kinda old and stilted 25 years later, having only had the opportunity to catch it on the small screen. But in the original,when it went from 4:3 B/W archive footage to widescreen and color with the screen expa-a-a-a-nding and all those low shots, showing only the lines in the road and a spinning wheel, way before CGI was even a dream for most filmmakers… Well. It wasn’t action, it was a ballet with cars, beautiful choreography, nihilistic violence, “The Ayatolah of Rock’n’Roll-ah”. It’s like Spielberg’s Duell - there are very few lines, no real acting, no real plot, o good reason for any of the stuff that happens, and yet… for me, it’s probably one of the best movies, and certainly the best action movie, ever made. Possibly because it’s so simple. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876/20 "2006-12-07T23:25:42Z")
What’s the point of answering when Stranger on a Train has done his usual fantastic job of summing up? 🙂 But as an answer, I like my books deep and my movies shallow so I love a well-done car chase. Be it comedy or action. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-chases/382876.md?page=2)