Pedal to the Metal

What was the greatest chase film in the movies: Bullitt, The French Connection or Ronin? Of course, there have been many other chase scenes in movies as well, but were they as good as these three?


The chase scene in Bullitt, the police drama made in 1968, has often been the scale by which chase scenes in the movies are measured. Why not? There is a lot of action in this nearly ten minute sequence. What does it have that others don’t? Most chases in films are in cities or perilous roads. Bullitt certainly qualifies there, as it is set in the city of San Francisco. The French Connection was shot on the crowded streets of New York. But, some of the chase scenes in Ronin are on the perilous highways of southern France and the cities of Nice and Paris.

Could it be the automobiles? The cars featured in Bullitt were a Ford Mustang and a Dodge Charger, both high-performance automobiles in 1968 and are quite a contrast to Popeye Doyle’s 1971 Pontiac Lemans sedan in The French Connection. For the most part, in Ronin, the automobiles used were powerful European touring sedans: Mecedes-Benz, Audi and BMW. All chases are at high speeds. In Bullitt the Mustang of Steve McQueen reached speeds of over 100 mph on the streets of San Francisco. This was the first film in which high speed chases were shot in real time. Previously chase scenes were “speeded up” in the camera. Speeds of over 80 mph were reached by the sedan in The French Connection, and the cars were equally fast in Ronin. Particularly in Ronin the lack of a music soundtrack emphasized the sound of powerful engines.

Another thing these chase scenes in all three movies have in common is that they hit other cars, and in the case of Ronin, wipe out vegetable markets. We get to enjoy the sound of tearing and crunching metal as cars bang into each other.

There is only one thing that separates Bullitt from the other films: air. In this film the automobiles are constantly airborne as the chase occurs in the hills of the city by the bay. This doesn’t happen in the other two films.

What is the greatest chase scene in cinema?  You be the judge.

The French Connection Ronin

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                                         INTERESTING FILM FACTS
*The stunt driver of the  Popeye Doyle car in The French Connection was the driver of Dodge Charger in Bullitt
*Two Mustangs and two Chargers were used in Bullitt with suspension modifications.
*Skipp Suddeth (Larry) in Ronin asked for the Audi to be equipped with nitrous.
*In 2008 Ford Motor Company introduced a Mustang "Bullitt Edition" in the signature green color celebrating the 40th anniversary of the film
*Bullitt and The French Connection have the same producer.

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THE AUTOMOBILES IN THE FILMS
Bullitt--1968 Mustang 390 engine--1968 Dodge Charger 440 engine
The French Connection -- 1971 Pontiac Lemans
Ronin -- Audi S8 D2 , BMW M5 E34, Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9,a rare Mercedes-Benz W116