We’ve all seen some pretty kick-ass car-chase scenes in movies. To compile a list of the best of them all if no easy task. The scenes we’ve chosen were done following a very strict criteria, that being cinematography, class, suspense and ultimately how “cool” it is.

If you look back at the 80’s and even go as far back as the 70’s then you will definitely find some amazing car-chase scenes. We mentioned them here, even though we focussed on more modern movies:

 

1. Wanted (2008)

Angelina Jolie in a Dodge Viper is already enough to promise a great car chase, add to that the distinct visual style of Timur Bekmambetov and you have a car chase that you can watch over and over again.

 

 

2. Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

The film is famous for having wrecked and destroyed 93 cars in a 40-minute car chase scene. This is the original film.

 

 

3. Drive (2011)

Purely because the beauty and class of the shots in this chase scene.

 

 

4. Ronin (1998)

This multi-car chase through the narrow, steep streets of Nice, France, in this Robert De Niro spy thriller is one-upped only by the sheer lunacy of an against-the-traffic pursuit through tunnels under the Seine in Paris.

 

 

5. French Connection (1971)

William Friedkin steered this tale of cops and heroin smugglers in New York City to five Academy Award wins including Best Director and Best Picture.  It’s not only an amazing chase in its own right, it also fits so perfectly with the story and aids in explaining the unyielding, uncompromising and obsessive Doyle.

 

 

6. Bullitt (1968)

Forty years on, the chase in Bullitt remains the chase against which all other movie car chases are measured. The scene benefits hugely from star Steve McQueen’s natural ability behind the wheel, which makes it a cinematic landmark is its sense of realism and quality of its driving. Director Peter Yates keeps thrills coming, so it’s easy to overlook the dozens of hubcaps that fly off the bad guy’s ’68 Dodge Charger and the fact that McQueen’s Mustang seems to pass the same VW Bug a thousand times. That’s legendary stunt driver Bill Hickman behind the wheel of the Charger, and when McQueen wasn’t driving the Mustang GT 390, it was expertly handled by stunt coordinator Carey Loftin.

 

 

 

7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

A band of punk-biker pirates pursues a tribal convoy, led by Mel Gibson’s Mad Max, that’s escorting a precious fuel tanker to safety. Fighters clad in studded leather spar atop moving cars, motorcycles and trucks, picking each other off with shotguns and crossbows.

 

 

 

8. Blues Brothers (1980)

This ridiculous off-the top/funny car chase scene is a must for any list. the blues-mobile features the entire movie so it’s understandable that a long car chase would follow. They drive through a mall! What a cool clip.

 

 

 

9. Death Proof (2007)

Car chases don’t get any better than this.  Kurt Russell and his murder-mobile decide to pick a fight with a trio of stunt chicks on a Texas highway. Ever seen a car chase where there’s a girl dangling off the hood?

 

 

10. The Italian Job (1969)

This British heist movie starring Michael Caine (remade in 2003 with Mark Wahlberg) finds a group of gold thieves transporting their loot through Turin, Italy in a red, white, and blue Mini Cooper. They go down stairs, through enclosed arcades, up (and back down) a curved rooftop, over an epic traffic jam and, finally, through a series of large sewer pipes.

Worthy Mentions:

Vanishing Point
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
The Bourne Identity (2002)