But Quantum of Solace uses music for the chase. And the use of music is very well done.
There is the mellow music accompanying the camera flying over the sea towards the tunnel, with the beautiful short shadow and light drained inserts cut between (one of the most beautiful film openings ever). Then the music stops abruptly when the infernal action starts (and now is indeed all noises and rapid cuts), and comes back like a triumph when the cars (and the camera) are leaving the tunnel.
The criteria is simply that this scene is fascinating. Like the car chase in Bullit (despite being speeded-up is fascinating, or the chase in Matrix 2, or the one in The French Connection, or …
Ennioo includes it in his list about half way down but I’m surprised no one else has mentioned The Master Touch. My favourite car chase of all time I think. Starts off well but pretty regular but cranks up more and more to become almost surreal. Descends into a virtual demolition derby which I love and pulls off some genuinely unique stuff like the wonderful ‘car on top of car’ stunt at around the 4 minute mark as well the grand daddy of all ‘driving through a pile of empty cardboard box’ devices. An obligatory stunt in all 70s car chases (just watch any episode of The Professionals or The Sweeney to see what I mean) but here taken to it’s ultimate scale. The whole thing manages to be exciting and laugh out loud funny at the same time. Plus, you get Giuliano Gemma thrown in for free.
If you haven’t seen it, check it out. If you have, enjoy a re visit.
[quote=“Phil H, post:42, topic:1708”]Ennioo includes it in his list about half way down but I’m surprised no one else has mentioned The Master Touch. My favourite car chase of all time I think. Starts off well but pretty regular but cranks up more and more to become almost surreal. Descends into a virtual demolition derby which I love and pulls off some genuinely unique stuff like the wonderful ‘car on top of car’ stunt at around the 4 minute mark as well the grand daddy of all ‘driving through a pile of empty cardboard box’ devices. An obligatory stunt in all 70s car chases (just watch any episode of The Professionals or The Sweeney to see what I mean) but here taken to it’s ultimate scale. The whole thing manages to be exciting and laugh out loud funny at the same time. Plus, you get Giuliano Gemma thrown in for free.
If you haven’t seen it, check it out. If you have, enjoy a re visit.
hmm, this could be interesting stuff, phil - i´m going to check it out
[quote=“Stanton, post:41, topic:1708”]But Quantum of Solace uses music for the chase. And the use of music is very well done.
There is the mellow music accompanying the camera flying over the sea towards the tunnel, with the beautiful short shadow and light drained inserts cut between (one of the most beautiful film openings ever). Then the music stops abruptly when the infernal action starts (and now is indeed all noises and rapid cuts), and comes back like a triumph when the cars (and the camera) are leaving the tunnel.
The criteria is simply that this scene is fascinating. Like the car chase in Bullit (despite being speeded-up is fascinating, or the chase in Matrix 2, or the one in The French Connection, or …[/quote]
well written on that Bond movie, Stanton - now, Bullit - i totally forgot about that chase, i must to reenter the movie, but as i remember, i think, i didn´t like Bullit chase ( blasphemy!!!)
anyways - about Matrix Reloaded chase - i always thought it is very good, but little overrated - i just can imagine better things on that highway (and with better CGI jumping agents)
anyways, on that speeding-up car chases in movies, i noticed, sometimes i like it, sometimes i don´t, for instance in Mad Max and Road Warrior it looks cool
(in Thunderdome no speeding up scenes, i think)
but what about speeding-up horse chase scenes ;D - that´s horrible
As far as I know all chases are speeded up.
There are nowadays exact rules how fast a stuntman, and how fast a normal actor is allowed to drive for filming. Maybe only about 60 miles/h for a stuntman and half of it for a star. Which probably means that it would now be forbidden for a star like McQueen to drive himself.
Main question is only if the usual film-goer notices it. An expert will recognize it always, of course.
The horse chases in old westerns are in parts overdone in their speed. The problem of recognizing mostly comes when the chases are combined with the movements of walkers. That’s also the moment in Bullitt where you might notice it, but only if you look at the periphery of what is happening, which people (me too) normally don’t do. I have seen the Bullitt chase 5 to 10 times until I noticed it for the first time.
But it seems that in modern films they are hiding it better.
John Ford was always keen to show a stuntman falling from his horse, and in the same take showing the man immediately arising and jumping on another horse. When the stuntman runs to the other horse it is inevitable to notice the his strange movements due to the speed-up.
Tomas, you really don’t like the Bullitt chase? It still looks stunning. I’m surprised.
okay, i watched that chase in Master touch, good ideas, i´ve never seen this movie, and it´s by Michele Lupo, hm, and Kirk Douglas and Gemma,
but i didn´t see a lot of these italian crime/action flicks, so, when i run out of spaghettis, maybe i´ll go in this direction
well, now, i don´t know exactly what was my problem with it and now i don´t remember it very well (i´ve seen it long time ago),
but my opinion on these movie issues sometimes change, when i rewatch it, so, i just have to do one Bullit session to find out
that´s of course true, some of these accidental movements are also in Mad Max, that final chase is walkers free though, but nevertheless, some bikers movements are very speed suspicious
I still have fond memories of the bullit car chase. I remember my Dad (who is not much into movies, more so into cars) had a VHS tape of just the chase, didn’t even bother keeping the rest of the movie.
I haven’t seen it for ages, but that is one of my childhood memories, and thus a good one.
Am a bit surprised nobody has mentioned the french Taxi movies. The first one is pretty much a car chase for the whole movie and pretty good. Transporter has also some good chasing.
To open up a new chapter, what about the worst? I would throw in Ong Bak, great thai action movie with awesome fights.
But the tuktuk chase gotta be one of the worst and unnecessary chase scenes in a movie, and it goes on forever.
[quote=“valenciano, post:52, topic:1708”]To open up a new chapter, what about the worst? I would throw in Ong Bak, great thai action movie with awesome fights.
But the tuktuk chase gotta be one of the worst and unnecessary chase scenes in a movie, and it goes on forever.[/quote]
Hmmm, there are dozens that are weak and unimaginative… I never really liked the precocious ones; Smokey & The Bandit, Gumball Rally, etc.
is fascinating, or the chase in Matrix 2, or the one in The French Connection, or …