Top 16 awesome movie chases

6. Casino Royale



Parkour was so popular at one point that even the newly-invigorated James Bond was doing it. This is a good thing, as it resulted in a wholly riveting chase through the streets of Madagascar in director Martin Campbell's satisfying (if a tad overlong) entry in the long running series. Erstwhile agent 007 (Daniel Craig) and his young partner are keeping tabs on international terrorist known as Mollaka (Sébastien Fouca).

Thanks to the incompetence of Bond's partner, Mollaka is alerted to their presence and makes a run for it. He is pursued by Bond, and what results is a wild and stirring parkour sequence that takes both men to the top of a skeletal skyscraper that is still under construction, and back down the other side. The direction is top notch, feeling urgent and intense without ever sacrificing a sense of place. The Bond franchise came roaring back in a big way with Casino Royale, and this sequence, which occurs early on in the film, had a lot to do with that.

5. Ronin



John Frankenheimer was one of the towering figures of cinema throughout the 1970s, and so it should come as no surprise that when he oversaw this sequence in the late 1990s, it would hearken back to the chase scenes of that earlier era. In this sequence, former special forces agents Sam (Robert DeNiro) and Vincent (Jean Reno) pursue IRA soldier Deirdre (Natasha McElhone) and her crew through the streets and tunnels of Paris. The two cars weave in and out of traffic, causing numerous accidents in their wake, and lobbing bullets at one another the entire time.

The chase is so intense that it even causes the stoic Vincent to reach for his seatbelt at one point. Frankenheimer is a master director, and the whole sequence is expertly choreographed. Thus, the audience is able to easily follow the action, and often we find ourselves sitting right inside the cars alongside the characters, looking out the windows at the destruction and chaos that is happening all around. As a result, the chase feels much more tense and nerve-wracking than it does exciting or exhilarating.

4. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior



Mel Gibson may be insane, and most likely always has been (he just hid it better in the old days), but that doesn't take away from the greatness of his most iconic and enduring character, and this sequence from the second film is undeniably the high watermark for the franchise. "Mad" Max Rockatansky has finally agreed to help the members of a small, isolated, oil-rich community escape from the hordes of Lord Humungus, and has even offered to drive the big tanker truck that Humungus has his sights set on.

Max might as well have painted a huge target on his chest because all the Dogs of War are coming for him and, even though Max keeps taking them out one by one, they have numbers on their side and are content to just keep tossing bodies at him as they pursue their prize. But Max is nothing if not clever and he has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

3. To Live and Die in LA



No one stages a chase scene better than director William Friedkin, a fact that is made evident by this incredible sequence from his superb 1980s era crime thriller. Reckless Treasury Dept. Agent Richard Chance (William Peterson) and his partner Johnny Hart (John Pankow) find themselves being pursued by rogue FBI agents after one of their schemes goes horribly wrong.

They are chased through the streets and canals of Los Angeles, eventually making their way up onto the freeway, where they try to shake their pursuers by heading directly into oncoming traffic. The scene is incredibly taut and gripping, and it's guaranteed to have viewers on the edge of their seats, their knuckles turning white from clutching the armrests so hard.

2. Bullitt



Detective Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is a tough-as-nails cop who works the streets of San Francisco, which is good, because it would be hard to imagine anyone with that name doing anything else ("Welcome to Bullitt's Bakery" just doesn't have the same ring to it). After an informant is killed while in police protection, Bullitt sets out to find the men responsible.

They're not keen to be found though, and they dispatch two hit men to take Bullitt out before he can get to them. This leads to what is arguably cinema's most influential chase sequence, as the hit men pursue Bullitt through the winding streets of San Francisco. Bullitt quickly manages to outwit his pursuers, though, and soon enough he's the one doing the chasing.

1. The French Connection



This is it, the granddaddy of all car chase sequences. Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle is hot on the heels of a hit man who has commandeered one of the city's many elevated trains, forcing the conductor to blow through every stop at unsafe speeds. Doyle follows the train from below, weaving in and out of traffic, barely escaping accidents at nearly every intersection. The chase itself is thrilling enough, but once you know the story behind it, it becomes even more exhilarating.

According to director William Friedkin, the production did not have permission from the city of New York when they were shooting the sequence, and the only thing keeping civilians at bay was a police bubble that they attached to the roof of the car. This becomes double impressive when one takes into account the fact that Friedkin was in the backseat manning the camera, as legendary stunt driver Bill Hickman tore through the streets at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. Even without knowing the back story though, this still manages to be one of the most exciting and amazing sequences ever filmed.