Chasing perfection
Edgar Wright selects his top 10 car chases…
Bullitt 1968
It’s such a grandstanding chase. There used to be a bit of dialogue in Baby Driver where they were talking about car-chase music, and Bats said, “Get me the music from the car chase in Bullitt.” And then he bought the soundtrack and figured out there is no music on the car chase!
The Italian Job 1969
What could be more iconic of swinging ’60s Britain than the sight of a red, white and blue trio of Mini Coopers racing in formation? Also, props have to be given for Quincy Jones’ ridiculously funky score for this chase.
Vanishing Point 1971
Incredible movie. Totally trippy. Kowalski’s [ Barry Newman]
White Challenger is iconic. It was also an inspiration to Baby Driver in that, at one point in the movie, the car chase is so extended it goes over two songs. I always remember that – one song ends and another one starts.
The French Connection 1971
Probably still the greatest of all time. Gene Hackman has to follow that guy, so what’s he gonna do? He’s gonna commandeer this car and go after him. He doesn’t have any more of a plan than keeping up with this train, and it makes it so desperate, so dramatic.
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry 1974
Peter Fonda and Susan George. Directed by a Brit, John Hough. Well worth watching. It’s basically the muscle car version of Bonnie And Clyde, with an equally bummer ending. The movie’s nearly all car chase.
The Driver 1978
The opening chase is extraordinary because it’s completely silent. It has a hypnotic quality, watching one car and a bunch of black-and-whites with their sirens going. Still to this day I think it’s beautifully shot. It strips down the essentials of the car chase. It’s a thing of spare beauty.
The Blues Brothers 1980
The final 20 minutes as they come into Chicago and are driving on Lower Wacker Drive is just astonishing. In its scale, how funny it is, how fast they’re driving.
To Live And Die In LA 1985
Another William Friedkin stunner. Downtown LA. An enormous amount of cars. Driving down the freeway the wrong way is an amazing gag. Great use of locations.
The Bourne Supremacy 2004
Probably the most influential car chase of the last 15 years. Darrin Prescott, who was the stunt coordinator on Baby Driver, was one of the choreographers and drivers within that sequence. When I heard he’d worked on it, I was like, “OK, so you’re good.”
Death Proof 2007
The final 20 minutes, with Zoë Bell on the hood. It’s an amazing idea to build a sequence around a working stunt woman, and thereby do something that not many films outside Hong Kong can do. Your lead actress is also your stunt woman!