Bond car chases

The last chase I found to be interesting and innovative was in Octopussy, mainly because of the conspicuous absence of police cars piling up in Bond's wake. I still duck in my seat as that motorcycle cop almost brushes the passing van!

DAD gets little love here, so I'll defend it and say I liked the idea of Bond's supercar meeting its match for once.

My all-time favorites are in DAF, LALD, TMWTGG and TSWLM (how can you tell I'm a child of the 70s?).

My least favorite is the fire engine chase in AVTAK (cue Mack Sennet and the Keystone Cops).

The Ice Palace chase in DAD was one of the few parts of the movie I enjoyed.

Golden Gun's chase bores me, even with Sheriff Pepper. Boredom is arguably the worst thing an action sequence can do to someone.

Tubes wrote:

Golden Gun's chase bores me, even with Sheriff Pepper. Boredom is arguably the worst thing an action sequence can do to someone.

Agreed, although I think in the case of the chase from TMWTGG, the worst thing about it was the terrible sound effect they added over the 360 car jump, which was one of the better stunts, certainly the best car stunt, in the entire series. I think that bit of stuntwork saves what is, as you correctly stated, otherwise a pretty underwhelming chase sequence.

dalton wrote:

Tubes wrote:

Golden Gun's chase bores me, even with Sheriff Pepper. Boredom is arguably the worst thing an action sequence can do to someone.

Agreed, although I think in the case of the chase from TMWTGG, the worst thing about it was the terrible sound effect they added over the 360 car jump.

That was John Barry writing in a slide whistle (he also uses that in THE DAY OF THE LOCUST for the magic carpet silent movie). Though it was probably Guy Hamilton's suggestion, not his.

trevanian wrote:

The QUANTUM cutting does have a precedent;

indeed it does, in the "The Bourne Supremecy"...

Raw driving skills in a real driving situation is still an area for Bond to mine imo, most of what Bond has done with car chases have focussed on an individual gimmick or stunt than the chase itself QoS is actually a rarity but even that sells out raw driving skills for the contrived end, a Bullitt, French Connection, 7 Ups or even Borne Identity style chase is curiously lacking from the Bond canon - if anyone can match those surely the Bond team is up for the challenge?

The great thing about the FRENCH CONNECTION chase, is the use of the POV angle. You're in the car yourself. Aside from the a few shots in the opening GOLDENEYE car chase, I don't think Bond's ever done much of that.

There's another thing - BULLITT, FRENCH CONNECTION and 7 UPS have no music. BULLITT's got Lalo Schifrin's brilliant shifting gears, but once the tires raw - the car engines become the music. QOS tried this by having have just sound effects for the tunnel part of the chase, and then the music comes back. There's something great about having the score build up the atmosphere to breaking point, and then disappearing altogether.

Sharky wrote:

The great thing about the FRENCH CONNECTION chase, is the use of the POV angle. You're in the car yourself. Aside from the a few shots in the opening GOLDENEYE car chase, I don't think Bond's ever done much of that.

There's another thing - BULLITT, FRENCH CONNECTION and 7 UPS have no music. BULLITT's got Lalo Schifrin's brilliant shifting gears, but once the tires raw - the car engines become the music. QOS tried this by having have just sound effects for the tunnel part of the chase, and then the music comes back. There's something great about having the score build up the atmosphere to breaking point, and then disappearing altogether.

Absolutely the gutteral roar of the engine and the changing of the gears is really a great way of immersing the audience - although not everyone has driven at that kind of pace the accesibility and famililarity of those sounds still brings the scene to life in a personal way. I actually like Arnolds opening cue which has the engine note underlaying it, unfortunately his greatest single failing is his inability to know when to keep quiet.

I wish they could do a carchase that has the intesity of those in Ronin.

lachesis wrote:

Raw driving skills in a real driving situation is still an area for Bond to mine imo, most of what Bond has done with car chases have focussed on an individual gimmick or stunt than the chase itself QoS is actually a rarity but even that sells out raw driving skills for the contrived end, a Bullitt, French Connection, 7 Ups or even Borne Identity style chase is curiously lacking from the Bond canon - if anyone can match those surely the Bond team is up for the challenge?

The one in Goldfinger is about the longest one I can remember, although that too was interupted by the need to crowbar in an opportunity for Bond to use the ejector seat

alas, in the current climate of untra fast cuts and jumpy camera I doubt a classic car chase sequence is likely