The 6 Best Hollywood Car Chases

by | Dec 14, 2017

Depending on the year, West Michigan winters can be the perfect time to stay in and watch movies – new and old alike. One of the quintessential tropes of action movies is the car chase, and today we’re going to look at some of the best of all-time.

Now, it’s worth pointing out—since we are the area’s top paving company after all—many of these incredible scenes wouldn’t be possible without paved surfaces. Sure, sometimes there are some unintended detours or the chase ends up on a gravel road, but your heart really starts pumping when cars are tearing it up at high speeds on the paved road.

Without further ado, here are the 6 best Hollywood car chase scenes of all-time:

  1. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)

On the run from the evil T-1000 (Robert Patrick) and the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), John Connor (Edward Furlong) races away on his motorbike only to be chased by the T-1000, who has taken over a truck. The scene is already intense with the truck bashing through everything and jumping a bridge to continue chasing John. But then the Terminator arrives on a Harley-Davidson sporting a shotgun he twirls to reload. Between the Harley, the semi, and Arnold being stone cold the whole time, there’s just so much to love about this chase.

  1. “Smokey and the Bandit” (1977)

Burt Reynolds became a 1970s icon thanks to this movie, in which he plays the wise-cracking moonshiner Bo “Bandit” Darville. And the movie itself became legendary thanks to his character jumping a defunct bridge with his Trans Am. To pull off the stunt, the car was strapped with a booster rocket and the car was driven by the director of the movie, Hal Needham, who happened to also be Reynolds’ longtime stuntman.

  1. “Gone in 60 Seconds” (1974)

Forget about the Nicolas Cage/Angelina Jolie 2000 movie – the original version has an authenticity that the remake and numerous other movies have unsuccessfully tried to duplicate. The highlight is the movie’s 40-minute chase scene, in which an astounding 93 cars are wrecked in the process.

  1. “The Blues Brothers” (1980)

“There’s 106 miles to Chicago. We’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark out, and we’re wearing sunglasses.” With that line from Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd), we are given one of the most entertaining car chases ever put on the big screen. With the money to save the Catholic orphanage they grew up in, Elwood and his brother Jake (John Belushi) lead an insane chase that includes police, a rival band, and the Illinois Nazis to downtown Chicago. In the process, director John Landis used 60 police cars and 40 stunt drivers.

  1. “Bullitt” (1968)

Steve McQueen had a reputation for loving fast cars as much as the movies, and he was able to get both in this classic, which is considered the first modern-day car-chase movie. He plays a San Francisco cop who, while on the hunt for an underworld kingpin, is constantly in pursuit while behind the wheel of his 1968 Ford Mustang GT. The highlight is a 10-minute chase Frank Bullitt (McQueen) has with a hitman. The scene revolutionized how car chases would forever be seen in movies.

  1. “The French Connection” (1971)

If “Bullitt” revolutionized the car-chase scene, then “The French Connection” gave it a reality never seen before. With director William Friedkin’s dashboard camera and handheld camerawork, not to mention the ferocious acting of Gene Hackman, the movie’s classic chase beats every other one out there.

Nearly missed in a sniper attack, Popeye Doyle (Hackman) chases the shooter to an elevated train. Doyle then commandeers a car and floors it to numerous station stops, nearly hitting a woman crossing the street with a stroller in the process, before catching up with the shooter. The feel of being right there with Doyle in the car—along with Hackman’s intense performance—is what makes the scene so thrilling. By the end, you’re as exhausted as the movie’s hero is – in a great way.

When our West Michigan winter weather is treacherous, it’s a good idea to stay at home, make some popcorn, and have a good time enjoying any of these heart-pumping movies.

So what do you think? Were there any Hollywood car chase scenes you feel can top these ones? If so, let us know in the comments below!

In the meantime, we hope you and your loved ones have a happy holiday season. If you are going to be out of the office, this is a great time to think about your paving projects for 2018. Not sure how much you need to budget? Just give us a call at 1-800-BLACKTOP (or 616-772-2559) and we’ll provide you with a FREE estimate!

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Faded and cracked asphalt creates a bad impression. And knowing the best way to fix it can be confusing.

Stripe A Lot knows how to get your asphalt to look great and last longer.

Asphalt that looks great and lasts longer.

Faded and cracked asphalt creates a bad impression. And knowing the best way to fix it can be confusing. Stripe A Lot knows how to get your asphalt to look great and last longer.

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Faded and cracked asphalt creates a bad impression. And knowing the best way to fix it can be confusing. Stripe A Lot knows how to get your asphalt to look great and last longer.

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