MovieChat Forums > The Seven-Ups (1973) Discussion > Chase scene mistakes

Chase scene mistakes

posted 18 years ago by wrfarley
21 replies | jump to latest

OK, I just saw the new DVD release (it's the first time I've seen this film in about 10 years); and for the most part enjoyed it, particularly Scheider's understated performance. But my cousin (a retired NYPD detective) found it conspicuous that Scheider's character, Buddy, would ignore a cop's prime mandate and abandon his dying partner to chase the bad guys. Also Scheider's car should be equipped with a light and siren. He should be constantly on his radio reporting: "10-13, cop down, policeman needs assistance! Suspect is heading west on 96th Street!" Giving his exact location would allow every police vehicle in the vicinity to join the chase.

These are quibbles, but I wanted to point them out.

[–] wilhemb 18 years ago

That's true. I was just wondering about the same thing. One road block for a cop killer!!? and nowadays the helicopter would have been on them in minutes.

[–] wrfarley 18 years ago

The NYPD had an aviation squad then. It's not too improbable that a helicopter would've been on the felons' trail as well (In fact, I bet it's a police helicopter that got that cool shot of the cars speeding across the GW Bridge).

[–] GunHillTrain 18 years ago

You might also notice that the chase scene on 96th Street is stretched out by using different angle shots at each intersection. The cars are shown passing Amsterdam Avenue, Broadway, and West End Avenue at least twice; with Amsterdam, I think it's three times.

[–] wrfarley 18 years ago

Yeah, that bank on the northeast corner of 96th and Amsterdam is particularly conspicuous (today it's a drug store).

Another thing that gets me is when the Pontiac Ventura spins out on 96th and Riverside Drive: there are about a half dozen more skid marks suggesting the stunt was done several times.

[–] GunHillTrain 18 years ago

I've been in that drug store a few times.

I just remembered, there a some shots from a driver's point of view too. Amsterdam and Broadway are shown looking westbound in those.

The whole chase is available for viewing on YouTube, if anybody wants to research this.

[–] wrfarley 18 years ago

GunHillTrain wrote:
"I just remembered, there a some shots from a driver's point of view too. Amsterdam and Broadway are shown looking westbound in those."

But as you wrote earlier, they jump the same four hills on 96th Street several times. The same thing happens in BULLITT; the cars jump the same hills, but from different camera angles.

[–] GunHillTrain 18 years ago

Well, there are a couple of possible film techniques that might be going on with this chase - and with the one in Bullitt too.

One is to stretch out the sense of time by filming the same moment from different directions, including from the front seats. Another is to stretch out a sense of distance by repeating the same moments as if they were at different times (and maybe different places, as there were really eight hills instead of four).

And maybe both are going on here.

[–] wrfarley 18 years ago

Also, the director and editor are so satisfied with the various shots of the same scene that they decide to use them all.

There's another repeated shot in the chase here: When the cars make a hard curve frpm the overpass onto Riverside Drive (around 110th St). First, we see the cars in a wide shot from behind, then we see the same shot from the front. In the first shot, you can spot the camera crew on the sidewalk in the distance.

[–] GunHillTrain 18 years ago

Right, I just noticed that repeated shot when I saw it on YouTube again recently. There is a regular police car in the chase at that point - it looks like a late-60s Plymouth Fury - and it almost goes out of control as it passes through the curve.

The police car seems to have authentic NYPD colors (green, black, and white) of the era, or at least that's how I remember them.

[–] wrfarley 18 years ago

The police car colors are accurate, alright. What's not, though, is the precinct number. It should be the 20th or 24th Precinct. Instead, it's a fictitious number (I never understood why they can't use real precinct numbers on TV or in film).

The scene where the cop car gets broad-sided looks pretty dangerous, too. The cop on the passenger side recoils pretty hard and his hat flies off from the jolt.

[–] GunHillTrain 18 years ago

I don't know, maybe there's some concern that real cops will be offended if they're shown in a bad light - and you need the cooperation of the police to film on location. It's sort of, "We'll show the NYPD messing up in some way, but it's not a real precinct, so it doesn't count somehow."

Just a guess, of course; I suspect cops watch most cop shows and movies and shake their heads. Although, I have read in a couple of places that real cops like Barney Miller for some reason.

[–] wrfarley 18 years ago

I've heard real cops high regard for "Barney Miller," too. It is a good show. It probably relates more to the mundaneness and crazy situations cops encounter.

I remember when the show "Joe Bash" (starring Peter Boyle) ran in the early 80's, his precinct was the 33rd, which didn't exist at the time. About 10 years ago, the NYPD did build a 33rd Precinct in Washington Heights.

As to why filmmakers can't use the names and numbers of real precincts (I'm not sure if this rule includes the names of real hospitals, too)I'll do a little research and post an answer as soon as I find out.

[–] carolyn_davis2 18 years ago

It sounds as if the director should have hired someone from the NYPD to consult on methods and practices (for example, the procedure re "cop down"), for greater realism.

[–] wrfarley 18 years ago

Hi Carolyn,

Often the real cops on a movie set (probably doctors, too) give all sorts of suggestions to heighten the reality of a technical scene. It's at the director's discretion whether to use any of it. The cop may not have access to the screenplay, so while his/her suggestion may be accurate, it may take the story in a different direction than intended.

[–] carolyn_davis2 18 years ago

so while his/her suggestion may be accurate, it may take the story in a different direction than intended.

That's a good pun re car chases, etc., wrfarley! Directors should integrate the advice of experts into the storyline, IMO. To me it subtracts from the plot for the action to be impossible; although I sometimes like the "improbable-but-could-happen" scenarios!

[–] wrfarley 18 years ago

Hi carolyn_davis2,

Yeah, we seem to be going over the "improbable motive" scene on a couple of boards (here and BYOOL). But that's what makes beloved movies so much fun. Believe me, when I watch one of these films again, I'll simply follow along with the action like any other viewer.

[–] bradford-1 12 years ago

If Scheider had stayed in the garage to aid his partner, there wouldn't have been a car chase to nit-pick.
"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"

[–] TommyFilmProductions 11 years ago

wrfarley, Roy Scheider's character didn't abandon his dying partner, Ansel. His other Seven-Up partner, Barilli, was with him at the time as they were investigating the garage. Once Moon and Bo sped off, Barilli stayed behind with Ansel as Buddy gave chase.

[–] urgeking 11 years ago

Yeah, it did seem odd to me that Buddy doesn't get on the radio for the first few minutes or so. My guesses at the explanation:

--The filmmakers thought that in terms of drama it would be more powerful to have a simpler, one-on-one chase, with Buddy's attention focused entirely on his own pursuit of the perps while watching out for the surrounding traffic-- and never mind if that wasn't realistic. Or:

--They weren't budgeted for additional cop cars (and the actors manning them) to join the chase, plus all the extra attention to continuity that would be needed if multiple cop cars joined in. Or:

--As a previous poster pointed out, if Buddy had all that radio communication and coordination with other cars and air support, the perps might have been intercepted much sooner... so all the spectacular stuff on the Taconic Parkway would have been pre-empted-- and who wants that?

As for repeating the shot on the long curve: I thought maybe we were supposed to "get" the fact that they're showing us the curve from two different positions (like the way recent action movies show the same explosion from multiple angles) just because it's such a cool shot-- and it is! The speed is apparently cranked a little bit, but those three cars are FLYING around that curve at something like 80 mph-- watch how slow the surrounding traffic is, by comparison. If that Plymouth cop car had lost it... whew! I wonder if the traffic running in the other direction on that road was staged, or genuine?

[–] markedjuan 11 years ago

Every car we see in the chase are "actors." Movement of each car in the scene is carefully choreographed. It's why sometimes we see a car twice or thrice during the chase, particularly the light green '68 Impala, which we see early in the chase when the Pontiac Granville nearly sideswipes it. This Impala is again seen parked on the closed street where the children are playing.

[–] urgeking 11 years ago

Another recurring "actor" is the Opel Kadett wagon. It's parked at 0:56:25 when its passenger side gets sideswiped by the Grand Ville; it's parked in a different place at 0:58:45 when the Grand Ville knocks its driver's door off. Poor little thing! Note the unconvincing orange repaint job that was done for the Opel's second appearance. They did a good job of masking off most of the chrome trim, so why did someone rush it and cover the entire black-and-chrome grille area in solid orange paint? (And watch the cameraman for that shot, behind the dark-colored VW Beetle, as he ducks to avoid being killed by the flying door and glass.)