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16: The Fast and the Furious

The Fast and the Furious is a film franchise that exists purely to house some of the most unapologetically, irredeemably irresponsible driving stunts in cinema. It’s hard to pick one example from a franchise that consistently does the same thing over and over again so very well but most fans of the series will always have a soft spot for the first movie. Click over to our 2009 movie preview for a look at the next installment.

15: To Live & Die in LA

Director William Friedkin’s unabashed attempt to match the high octane thrills of his earlier French Connection, To Live & Die in LA is a brilliant but almost forgotten cop thriller from the 1980s that is ripe for rediscovery. Or, given the current paucity of creativity in Tinseltown, a remake.

14: The Cannonball Run

No mention of the art of high-speed entertainment would be complete without a mention of that mustachioed master of mechanical mayhem Burt Reynolds. Grinning genially as he taunted hapless law enforcement officers, he epitomised that last hurrah of old fashioned irresponsibility in a world increasingly dominated by the safe and sensible. That he also inspired The Fall Guy and the Dukes of Hazzard should in no way diminish our appreciation of the last happy-go-lucky outlaw of the wide open spaces. And of course we couldn’t talk about Burt without at least one quick peek at Smokey and the Bandit.

13: Gone in 60 Seconds

The original Gone in 60 Seconds didn’t have a car chase. It was a car chase. A labour of love for director/star H.B. Halicki it had practically no scripted dialogue, just a general story outline draped over a number of automotive set pieces. Together with the preponderance of non-actors performing on set, the resultant effect is not dissimilar to the pornography of the day, but with Ford Mustangs instead of young women.

12: McQ

In the car-chase crazy Seventies even John Wayne was a tough uncompromising cop in an ugly car. The Duke traded in his horse for a Plymouth Belvedere and called upon the services of stuntman (and later Cannonball Run director) Hal Needham. The central chase itself was innovative for taking place on a beach – occasioning generous use of windscreen wipers – and featuring the first staged rollover of a car in movies.

11: The Matrix Reloaded

Computer generated effects are generally considered to be the poor relation when it comes to car chases but this seamless blend of CGI and practical effects filmed on a specially-constructed 1.4 mile loop of three-lane highway on a decommissioned navy base, is a masterclass in how to combine digital trickery with old-fashioned petrolhead derring-do. Other innovations include teleporting twins and in-car kung fu. General Motors reputedly lent over 300 vehicles to the Wachowski brothers for this sequence. None survived.

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