The original "Italian Job" is the best car chases of it's kind in film history. It is subjective of course, the time/place it was filmed should be taken into account. They actually blocked and caused a massive traffic jam without advising authorities, no special effects, camera tricks etc. What you see is all as real as it gets. The guy who gets out of his car and gestures as he was cut off is just a guy who was stuck in the traffic jam made for the movie. The director is the guy guiding the cars into the back of the bus, in real time on a real highway, one miscalculation and he would have been maimed or killed.
Some of the stunts were so dangerous that there was a helicopter ready to fly the director and the other principals out of Italy immediatly if one of the stunts went wrong, under Italian law they would be held criminally and civily liable, and jailed on the spot and held until it got to trial, which could have taken years in Italy at that time.
The chases in "Ronin", "Bullitt", "The French Connection", "The Blues Brothers and "Vanishing Point" (originals, no remakes) are high on the list too, but they're all very different. Apples to Oranges in some cases, not all chase scenes are created equal.
"if it was any good they'd have made an American version by now." Hank Hill
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spookyrat1
10 years ago
Apples to Oranges in some cases, not all chase scenes are created equal.
I agree. People need to remember that this film is a comedy, whereas 4 of the 5 mentioned above are dramatic action films, meaning the tone and context of the chases will be quite different. 🐭
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