Chase(s) Of The Day: “Torque”
I like where this is going.
After “The Fast And The Furious” made way too much money for Hollywood film producers, they decided the young and restless pre-driver’s license mall rats were up for the same thing all over again.
They were right, I remember watching Torque with my then fifteen-year-old friend and loving every second of it.
This clip is a long seven-plus minutes because it includes not just one, but every great scene from this movie. This particular YouTube edition has some pretty funny “bloopers” pointed out, and a righteous battle between the Mountain Dew girl and the Pepsi girl. …just watch it and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
And yep, that’s Ice Cube on the train.
Car Chase of the Day: “For Your Eyes Only”
Wow, that is an amazing car.
People who don’t know me will probably think I’m being sarcastic… but I know my devoted readers will appreciate this classic Lotus as much as I do:
Pity it only survives for the first thrilling 5 seconds of the scene.
Other than that, there are plenty of reasons to love this clip.
Great acting, great special effects, and of course Roger Moore’s one-liners that are about as dated as his ill-fated Esprit.
Seriously though, I think I’ve seen more accurate in-car shots on Sesame Street.
Enjoy:
You’ve Got To See This: Jackie Chan in “Thunderbolt”
I was sitting at my desk, thinking about content to add to my fruitless tree of a website, when an idea hit me like… a thunderbolt.
All this time, I’ve been running a car-culture website and I’ve failed to include so much as one clip from the 1995 Jackie Chan masterpiece; “Thunderbolt.”
I saw this on TV (if you can believe it) at a friend’s house in the early 2000′s, and have been obsessed ever since.
Say what you will about the import-car scene and how Paul Walker ruined it, but this movie is seriously incredible.
It’s got kung-fu, a great soundtrack, terrible dubbing, hilarious Asian-on-Asian repartee, and some awesome cars.
Go ahead, check out the first two minutes:
I know, this clip raises a lot of questions.
Is Jackie Chan in some kind of prison here? Why are all those men dancing together? Why are they racing a bus? Where can I buy those triple-red driving shoes?
To learn the answers to these mysteries, you must embark on the journey that is Thunderbolt.
Rent it, steal it, buy it on eBay and get it shipped from Hong Kong (that’s what I had to do)… but I promise you won’t regret getting your hands on this movie.
What, your sense of humor not quite ironic enough to stomach it based on that preview?
Fine; check out this duel Jackie has in a Mitsubishi FTO against an R33 Skyline. Waaay cooler than F&F ever was.
速く行こう!!!
Car Chase Of The Day: “The French Connection”
First of all, I’ve never seen this movie- I usually don’t have the patience for old-school flicks. Now don’t go emailing me saying how much better movies were in the old days, that I’m ignorant about classics and that I have a short attention span.
I know, and I don’t care.
The title just sounds too limp-wristed for me anyway. But I caught this car chase from The French Connection on YouTube and thought it was worth sharing.
Looks like there was once a time when Gene Hackman had hair, apparently around the same time when the Pontiac LeMans was cool. Yikes.
Anyway, the scene is pretty cool despite some seriously weak tire-screeching effects (so don’t bother pausing your Limp Bizkit CD) and enjoy.
Car Chase Of The Day: “The Transporter”
“The Transporter” movie trilogy gets a bad rap. That totally makes sense, because all three movies are terrible. But least the first one features an interesting vehicle: an early 90′s BMW 735 with the suspension and transmission of an 8-series swapped in. Neat.
You also get to see main actor Jason Statham shirtless and oiled up in a bus-station fight. If you’re into that kinda thing.
You’ll have to watch it here in two parts, but this opening sequence is the best chase of any Transporter movie. Be sure to engage your suspension of disbelief for the jump-from-bridge-to-car carrier scene and you should find it entertaining.
The actress from this movie is not really my type… but here’s a picture for all the Qi Shu fans out there:
Car Chase of The Day: “Quantum of Solace”
Another Bond clip? Why not- there are just too many premium scenes that we all need to enjoy.
This one features Daniel Craig in his second appearance as 007 driving a beautiful Aston Martin DBS pursued by gun-toting gangsters in a pair of Alfa Romeo sedans. S**t gets crazy when the cops try to keep up in a Land Rover Defender…
And who was the girl from that movie again?
That would be Olga Kurylenko. Who is much better looking than her name would lead you to believe.
Car Chase Of The Day: “Die Another Day”
That’s right, another Brosnan Bond movie. Got a problem?
This might be the most unrealistic depiction of car usage I’ve seen in awhile, but it’s all the more entertaining for it.
It’s Bond in an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish and the villain in an supercharged Jag XKR (when it was still based on the limp-wristed XK8)… there’s your first bit of fiction right there; that car wouldn’t have a prayer of catching an Aston on asphalt or ice.
Speaking of ice, if you haven’t seen the movie the giant yellow deathray might throw you off a bit, don’t worry that’s just the sun’s energy harnessed to melt the Ice Hotel.
Then of course there are are volleys of bullets, missiles, and then Bond’s Aston bumps into two snowmobiles and sends them… flying?
Hm.
Anyway the best part might be the end, when the villain ends up swimming in frozen water and gets one last cinematic “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” line before his demise-by-chandelier.
And even better, the clip is available in HD:
Brosnan’s costar Halle Berry didn’t make it into this scene, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy her here.
Does the short hair work for you guys?
Car Chase Of The Day: “Ronin”
To some people, this is the “Car Chase of the Decade” (if that decade is the 90′s) so it would be wrong of me not to include it early on in the series.
Robert DeNiro plays some sort of badass gangster/ex-secret agent (typical) and he’s got to collect a package from this blondie who doesn’t want to give it to him.
The result is a wild pursuit through Paris between a BMW E34 driven by Natascha McElhone and what looks like a Peugeot 405 driven by DeNiro. Bobby D. definitely got the short end of the stick in terms of car choice, but emerges victorious nonetheless as the German sedan ends up exploding.
A clip not to be missed.
Car Chase Of The Day: “Goldeneye”
During another hard procrastination session that I’m currently in the midst of, I lamented that this website hasn’t made a “Top Ten Movie Car Chases” list yet. You know, like a “Mr. Skin” for car fans.
[If you don't know what that is, send your kids out of the room (seriously) and take a look.]
But then I realized a “Top Ten” would never do- there are just way too many great car chases and it seems like Hollywood just keeps making more crazy ones every year.
So I’ve decided to post a good one up every time I think of it, for your entertainment.
The first installment of the series will be one that a lot of you have probably forgotten, but is still one of my favorites.
From the 1995 James Bond movie “GoldenEye” It’s the impromptu duel between Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in his trademark Aston Martin DB5 verses the so-ice-cold-she’s-hot Famke Janssen in a 90′s Ferrari. Unfortunately this clip isn’t of the best quality, and it cuts out the scene at the end where Bond pops open the center console to reveal a bottle of champagne… which is just about as pimp as it gets. But it will have to do for now.
Enjoy:
She's hotter than a Ferrari 355 GTS for sure, but a DB5? That's a tough one.
