After putting up that car chase video yesterday, I had several comments and requests (both at the post, and by e-mail) claiming that the famous car chase scene from Bullitt was 'the best of the best', and suggesting I should put it on my blog.
Well, who am I to disagree? It's certainly among the best car chase scenes ever filmed. You can read more about it here.
Aaaahhh . . . they made some good movies back then, didn't they?
Peter
The car chase scene (through the streets of San Francisco, with an explosives laden radio controlled model car chasing Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry) in The Dead Pool is a very funny and also suspenseful homage to the Bullitt sequence.
ReplyDeleteYes Sir,
ReplyDeleteThe 1950's and 1960's were the best "movie" decades.
Today's movies cover up a lack of acting telent with special effects.
Hats off to real actors who made real movies:
1) Charles Bronson
2) Clint Eastwood
3) Eli Wallack
4) Charlton Heston
5) Paul Newman
6) Gene hackman
7) Jack Nicholson
8) James Coburn
9) Telly Savalas
Et al........!
Toejam
My wife's first car was a 68 fastback GT 390, the same car as used in this movie. We still have it to this day.
ReplyDeleteIMHO, the chases scene (s) from 'Ronin' tops this rather easily. Don't get me wrong... I love the old cars and would happily own most anything shown in the Bullitt chase scenes...
ReplyDeleteBUT... I know those cars could easily be wasted by even a tricked up Ford Focus these days, let alone a real car. That takes some joy out of it for me.
Heck,
ReplyDeleteIt was a "low" budget movie.
Gas was only 26 cents a gallon then.
Toejam
They used one scene, from different camera locations, at least five times. In the excitement of watching the movie, you don't notice it. Great editting.
ReplyDelete- Steve_in_CA
I'd add Lee Marvin to that list !
ReplyDeleteThe chase in Bullit pales in comparison to the chase scene in The French Connection, in my opinion. Chasing a car through streets devoid of life is one thing, a car chasing elevated train cars through the obstacle course of the elevated line's pillars and through the crowds of NYC is quite another. I think this the best 'car' chase scene ever.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the chase scenes in Ronin were pretty intense too.
All the best,
Glenn B
I liked the chase scene in "The Bourne Identity" as well.
ReplyDelete"They used one scene, from different camera locations, at least five times."
I noticed it because I kept seeing that same green Volkswagen beetle. Even though beetles were quite common back then, they are nonetheless distinctive as compared to all the rest of the Detroit sheet iron in that movie.
I was watching a interview with the camera, (many years ago), man that was inside the car that Steve McQueen drove. During the car chase the Mustang breaks faded to nothing to be able to stop the car. While Steve was attempting to stop the car the camera man had run out of film so he was not able to get some of the most superb driving skill action on film the camera man had ever experienced.
ReplyDeleteI bet the pucker factor was very high inside that Mustang.