More on movie chases........

Everyone loved the post about car-chase films and the ladies in them, and I got a lot of inquirys about the best chase scenes. I figured I'd write about my favorites, and welcome any that I missed. However, since this site is devoted to American Musclecars-please-although the scenes may have been excellently choreographed and realistic-don't write in about "Ronin" with the nitrous-fed Audi, "The Transporter" with the one-off manual trans 7 series BMW, or "The Italian Job" with the Mini-Coopers. # 1. "Bullitt". Still the king after all these years, because of Steve McQueens committment to realism. No speeding up the camera, no tricks. Just McQueen, and stuntmen Carey Loftin and Bill Hickman going up to 115 mph through the streets of San Francisco. It still looks good more than 40 years later, regardless of how many times they pass that same VW.  # 2. "Vanishing Point". The 1971 original with Barry Newman, not the sissified made for TV 1997 remake with Viggo Mortensen. Here's the difference: In the Badass original-Kowalski bets a drug dealer his bill for the speed he bought that he can make it from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. That's why he's going so fast across Utah and Nevada. He meets a snake-charmer that helps him out and the famous totally naked dirt-bike rider. And he hits the bulldozers with a big smile on his face, thinking he can drive between them. In the politically correct remake Kowalski's charachter is racing home because his pregnant wife went into premature labor. And Peta Wilson rides the dirtbike wearing a halter top, shorts and hiking boots, not totally nude and barefoot like the 1971 heroine. And there's no drugs involved, and they imply at the end that he somehow bailed out of the car and survived to raise his kid. Ok, let me vomit, before I write anymore. See what I'm saying?  # 3 & # 4. Since the same guy-William Freidkin- directed both films, their kind of intechangeable depending on your personal taste. I'm talking about the "French Connection" and "To Live and Die in LA". Both feature spectacular wrong-way chases. I think veteran stuntman Carey Loftin did the driving in "LA", actor Gene Hackman actually piloted the Pontiac Tempest through New York's busy streets, ranking him with Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood and Sylvester Stallone as the badasses that did their own stunts. Watch both films and you decide which chase is better. # 5. "The Seven-Ups"  Two Pontiacs in this chase-a Grand Ville and a Ventura. Trivia note-Stuntman Bill Hickman-who drives the Grand Ville, also drove the Charger in "Bullitt." Surprise ending to the chase- I won't say it for those who haven't seen the movie-it's a shocker. # 6. "White Lightning"  There's actually several small-chases in this flick imvolving Burt Reynolds, Bo Hopkins, Ned Beatty, and Matt Clark instead of one big one, but their all very well-done. The only downside is the cars are all Fords.  Nothing against Fords-But honestly-they could have sprang for at least one Mopar or Chevy.  # 7. "The Driver". This one also has several small chases rather than one big one. The best scene in the movie is Ryan O' Neal's "job application" with some Russian gangsters. He destroys a Mercedes in a parking garage while they scream like schoolgirls from the backseat. # 8. "Mr Majestyk"  This one involves a Ford pickup, a few '70's Mopars, and a '72 LTD convertible. It's noteworthy because hero Charles Bronson is ridng in the BACK of the truck while girlfriend Linda Cristal does all kinds of "Dukes of Hazzard" stunts trying to elude the bad guys. This chase was actually used in the early "Built Ford Tough" ads.   # 9  "Death Proof". Quentin Tarantino trying to be Bill Freidkin and Carey Loftin combined. Entertaining, but I feel it ultimately falls short, especially considering the huge budget he had.  A crazed Kurt Russel, driving a '69 Charger, chases Rosario Dawson and friends who are test-driving a white '70 Challenger R/T- A "Vanishing Point" clone-with stuntwoman Zoe Bell strapped to the hood. Good action and filming-but take away the girl strapped to the hood and it's a lot of been-there-done-that-got the T-shirt stuff as far as car chases go. And that's why its ranked lower than the others that didn't have 1/10th the budget. If you have a differing opinion feel free to send yours in. Mastermind