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Posted: 11/27/2001 9:53:00 AM EDT
I'm a guy.

I like fast cars, my biggest regret is selling my 67 Chevelle SS, 396 4 speed to pay for the last year of law school.

I liked Steve Mcqueen.

I like guy movies.

So I keep hearing all this raving about the big chase between the 429 Mustang and the Charger being the ABSOLUTE best chase scene ever filmed.

Well, I've watched the film 3 times now, always with an open mind, and the scene is more goofy than suspenseful.

Totally anticlimactic, and only 1 real horsepower display, when Steve backs up.

And the ending, what, a slight freeway tag and the bad guys completely lose control and get their nuts barBqued.

AM I MISSING SOMETHING?

HELP!  
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:00:58 AM EDT
[#1]
I think alot of people really like the scene is because its totally beleiveable. Its not some hyped-up, computer generated sceness that are so unbeliveable that its hard to watch.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:01:39 AM EDT
[#2]
Yeah, probably. Most of the admiration of this scene is tied to the movie and the nostalgia it represents. Most of us saw it when it came out or shortly thereafter. Although many movies have been made since that deal with police corruption and car chases and other subject matter similar to this one,,, this was one of the first to do it. There were several things in it at the time that were previously only talked about partially. A lot of the excitement of this movie was due to its perceived originality. By today's standards, most of the material in it may seem mild.

Many of the things in more modern movies were quickly duplicated, causing the successors to appear less impressive, i.e. morphing, CGI, etc, etc...

When Bullitt came out it was a serious kick-ass movie and most people remember it for that. It just may seem a little mild by today's standards.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:14:55 AM EDT
[#3]
I agree with you Citadel. I thought the car chase scene in Ronin was a hundred times better than Bullitt.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:21:06 AM EDT
[#4]
Those were the days...before the computer and a key board replaced the actors and stunt men.

Another great chase scene, Vanishing Point....the chase lasted the entire movie.

Wish I could find a copy of that one.

Karsten
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:24:14 AM EDT
[#5]
During the chase they pass the same VW beetle about four times.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:24:55 AM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
I agree with you Citadel. I thought the car chase scene in Ronin was a hundred times better than Bullitt.
View Quote


The guy actually driving the Audi in that chase scene was a former Le Mans champ.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:28:31 AM EDT
[#7]
No you don't get him, he's my dog.  

Movie was pretty good.  Chase scene was a little different that something you'd see today, though.  It was believeable that at the time the movie was made, that chase could have happened like that.  If you watch the DVD they emphasize that they were going for realism with Bullitt.  Therefore, the car chase was not an Over-the-top smash 'em up derby through pedestrian infested walkways.  And it ends in a more believeable fashion than many other car chases in other movies.  

That's my view and it's worth every cent you paid for it.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:31:19 AM EDT
[#8]
Oh, yeah, that reminds me, they passed a white 67 pontiac about 14 times, too.

My complaint is not the continuity, though, it's the chase itself.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:52:24 AM EDT
[#9]
Citadel sez..."My complaint is not the continuity, though, it's the chase itself.""

Having seen Bullitt during its first release I can tell you that the buzz about the movie was the chase scene.  Everybody wanted to see the car chase and that's all anybody talked about.  And that chase was talked about reverentially for a LONG time.  Probably until about the time Star Wars kicked special effects into another gear.

I don't remember if Bullitt was the FIRST chase movie; I saw Vanishing Point with Barry Newman about the same time then French Connection and some other chase movies came out in succession.  But Bullitt was the movie all the others were compared to.

BTW Steve McQueen and his Solar Productions company made a movie about the 1969 LeMans race called appropriately "LeMans".  I believe it was released in 1970.  It had some good fast driving effects for its time.  I hated it when they sacrificed the Porsche 917.  I've watched that car die a hundred times and each time it hurts.

**Edited to say Citadel got me thinking about the realism vs. special effects in the movies thing.  Maybe "realism for excitement" had played itself as far as it could with the Car Chase Movies.  For visual excitement only the effects (not includng women) of the Bond movies came really close and the Bond scenes were more sci-fi than realism.  After the string of Car Chase Movies there was a lack of new visual excitement that George Lucas exploited with some success.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 10:58:24 AM EDT
[#10]
the best chase scene i've ever seen was the one in [i]Way of the Gun[/i].

it was slow, but brilliant, fantasy, yet believable, confusing yet logical ~ check it out if you haven't, the whole movie was pretty entertaining! [:)]
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 11:19:53 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
Those were the days...before the computer and a key board replaced the actors and stunt men.

Another great chase scene, Vanishing Point....the chase lasted the entire movie.

Wish I could find a copy of that one.

Karsten
View Quote


Oh man, I loved Vanishing Point when I first saw it as a kid and I still think it's a great flick. Driving that big badass Challenger across a few states, hopped up on speed while being chased by the the man. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
Unfortunately they tried a made for TV remake a couple of years ago starring one of those teen idol dudes from Beverly Hills 90210 and it sucked bigtime.
I think the Mustang McQueen drove is the reason many of us like the scene, it was the first use of a real muscle car in a chase.            They say Steve McQueen did all of his own stunt driving.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 11:34:14 AM EDT
[#12]
I loved Vanishing Point too! Had it all...scenery, awesome Hemi Mopar.....the whole nine yards.
There was another movie a long time back that also rocked.
I think it was called King of the Mountain?
Was about street racers on Mulholland Drive outside of LA.....and had a super cool bathtub Porsche in it.....
Anybody else see that one?
The Bad Guy had a stop watch on his rear view mirror, and kept muttering "Time is speed, speed is time.."
Lol, I still remember that line sometimes, driving out on the open road at night.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 11:46:25 AM EDT
[#13]
Bullitt and Against All Odds are the only two movies with "real" car chase/race scenes. By real I mean real roads that were for the most part open with no tricky camera work or added effects in post production. Chilling.

Now, if a good car movie is all you care about get Gran Prix or LeMan and let the DVD buuuuuurn!
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 11:59:15 AM EDT
[#14]
Mulholland was the name of the bathtub porsche movie and I think Dennis Hopper drove a TRUCK in it. Cool movie, for car buffs.

In Bullitt, Steve McQueen did drive.

Little known fact. Steve did a particular take that is in the film and found out he was just weaving in and out of traffic at 110 plus and there was no traffic control. He was supposed to have stopped and allowed them to set up the traffic.The rest of the chase was with controlled traffic, choreographed etc.


Good chase seen is "The Seven Ups" with Roy Scheider too.

Link Posted: 11/27/2001 12:02:29 PM EDT
[#15]
Mulholland featured Harry Hamlin (I think) as the Porsche pilot.

Hopper was the veteran used to be driver, his ride was a 63 vette, primer gray with no back window.  He died in it.

Call me goofy, but I love Christine, that 57 Fury withthe Hemi was way cool.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 12:42:25 PM EDT
[#16]
Bullit is best , because those are STOCK cars on the street. There are no addins. The best chase because. You get in the driver seat view . You can hear the performance. YAAAWW, YAAAAW RPM's engine purrs like a lion.  You can hear the drivers down shift without the clutch on falling rpms . The real deal no bullshit. This is what the car will do.  Positrack rear end. Those cars are wide open at 6 grand and thats it.  No FLUFF.  

Been in a Square Back Nova SS that was only street legal because it didn't have the slicks on.  Had A STROKER with Blower and Nitrous oxide. Good Rear end and small Torgue Converter with about a 3000 stall.  Racing seats with 5 point harness. Well my uncle gets on it and the wheels lift off the ground and if it hadn't been in that kind of seat I would been behind. HEAD is pushed so far back and I am straining to keep it straight.  10 second car.  Then we come down and the SOB is rapped out and LOUD AS HELL. MAKES YOU GIDDY DOESN"T IT.  HOLY SHIT I am THINKING, I LOVE THIS.  Then the Back end breaks loose and we are fishtailing down Janeway avenue in front of Kelly Elementary (this is over 8 years ago <--To all LEO's) during the summer.  Lays a scratch for about 30 feet.  SSSSCCCCCCRRRRRRREEEEEEEAAAAAAAACCCCCCCHHHHHHHH YAAAAAAAAAAAAA< YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA< YAAAAAAAAAAAAA< YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.  Quick shifter with nitrous button on the shift. YOU CAN HEAR THAT BLOWER WHINING, SHZEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUWWWWWWW. Sounds like a TURBINE sucking in PRecious OXYGEN BY THE CUBIC YARD.......

AWESOME.!!!

Benjamin
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 12:46:29 PM EDT
[#17]
I want a 65 GTO with tri-powered 389. Ram Air induction.  Candy APPLE RED.  HOLY SHIT.  WOOOD. 5 speed transmition.  Posi-track rear end. Dreams.......

Benjamin
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 2:28:23 PM EDT
[#18]
Bullitt, "a good no fluf car scene".  Maybe, maybe not.  I dont know how many of you have jumped a car 5 feet in the air at 50 to 60 mph, but my friend that i was racing one day hit a huge dip when i looked over all i saw was the bottom of his car through my passenger window.

He had 2 broken struts, 1 broken shock, a bent header, dented oil pan, and i think his alignment was screwed.

Dont get me wrong, it was a great city chase scene, but it has been out done by many movies since then.  Ronin being just one of them.  Groundhog Day being another.  ;)
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 3:56:16 PM EDT
[#19]
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:05:10 PM EDT
[#20]
But the audience was totally unaware that we'd ever be able to digitize a movie, they just knew what they were seeing.  They may have been impressed, but not because they thought there was a "safe" way to do the same inthe future.

Maybe it just can't live up to the hype.

I hate it when everybody is railing about how great a movie is for some time before I see it.

THe real deal never lives up to the hype.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:07:55 PM EDT
[#21]
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:13:55 PM EDT
[#22]
Steve McQueen could drive.

Race cars, motorcycles, you name it.

Fast.

Supposedly a pretty competent crowd hung out at his place.

Who was the guy did the motorcycle jump at the start of the War2 prison camp movie?  Was it McQueen too?
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:14:13 PM EDT
[#23]
Now THAT makes sense.

I CANNOT get worked up over the recent spate of digitized stunts BECAUSE they ARE NOT stunts at all.

Tom Cruise blown from a helo onto a moving train?  Please.

"Stunts" are cool because whoever is doing them is CRAZY to try it.
Computer effects=ho hum.

They are actually distracting because they are so over the top I get distracted trying to figure out how they REALLY did it.  
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:19:07 PM EDT
[#24]
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:20:54 PM EDT
[#25]
I think McQueen one time was quoted, "Who said fast cars are supposed to be easy to drive?  If that was the case folks wouldn't call people like me drivers."
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:37:49 PM EDT
[#26]
well back then I did own a 68 gt 428 cobra jet car and bullit was one of my all time chase movies because of that. a lot of hype back then was that car was a 427 car which it was not believe me.
68 390 gt. no posi but limited slip rear end. trust me when I say with detroit locker in the rear both tires are going up in smoke even with that low h.p. 390 becaus of the damn torque those things had and when he lights them up watch only one tire smokes.
this is how I rate the old ones.
#1 dirty mary crazy larry
#2 vanishing point
#3 gone is 60 seconds
#4 bullit
but thats just me
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:40:30 PM EDT
[#27]
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:46:13 PM EDT
[#28]
Bullitt was way cool...
I always liked Vanishing Point and Two Lane Blacktop
Still wish I had my 67 GTO
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 4:56:02 PM EDT
[#29]
Bullitt was the best chase seen EVER because it was real people driving real cars, not some digitally created scene.  My only complaint was that they mixed in manual trans sounds for the Dodge in the movie, but it was clearly an automatic.  Watch closely before the chase begins.  The guy driving the Dodge has been in several movies as the 'bad guy' driver.
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 5:09:31 PM EDT
[#30]


You'd would've had to been there I guess. It (Bullitt) set a new benchmark in too many ways to list (No one EVER thought of spindle mounted cameras before that, BTW).

DVD is great, but Bullitt is one of those movies that [u]needs[/u] to be seen on a BIG screen.
McQueen did most of the driving in Bullitt
(also drove the Charger in many of the sceens!), & all of his own driving The Getaway. [url]www.thecarplace.com/media.htm[/url]


He acted for food, but raced for passion (gun-nut too)!
[img]http://www.thecarplace.com/bullitt1.jpg[/img][/quote]
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 5:19:48 PM EDT
[#31]
Now that we've got all the "loose steering wheel nuts" in one place
(I mean "those who appreciate fine muscle cars"[:D]),,,,

Didja know the Challenger was not destroyed in Vanishing Point's final crash. Look closely. A 1967 Chevy Camaro was demolished doing stand-in duty for the Challenger.

[url]http://www.thecarplace.com/media.htm[/url]
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 5:22:35 PM EDT
[#32]
Awright...help me here.  I remember the Challenger in the original Vanishing Point being badged as a 440 Magnum.  Was it a Street Hemi?
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 5:23:25 PM EDT
[#33]
You have to remember when this movie was filmed. At the time it was considered good...
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 5:43:44 PM EDT
[#34]
Quoted:
Awright...help me here.  I remember the Challenger in the original Vanishing Point being badged as a 440 Magnum.  Was it a Street Hemi?
View Quote


There's no right answer,
One of the main points of controversy has centered around the 1970 Dodge
Challengers using in Vanishing Point.  Carey Loftin specifically requested Challengers because of the "quality of the torsion bar suspension and for its horsepower.  It was a sturdy, good running car." Five Alpine White Challengers were loaned to Cupid Productions by Chrysler for promotional consideration and were returned upon completion of the filming.
 
How the cars were equipped has been a point of controversy among "Vanishing Point buffs".  "There were five cars," Loftin said.  "The number five car that we never used was an automatic and it did have the 383.  All
the rest had the 440s.  All the 440's were equipped with four-speeds, and all were four-barrel carbs."  Speculation had been that Hemi or Six Pack Challengers were used, which Loftin and Newman dispelled.  The cars performed to Loftin's satisfaction, although dust came to be a problem.
None of the engines were blown, and Loftin recalls that no special
equipment was added or modifications made to the cars, except for
heavier-duty shocks for the car that jumped over No Name Creek.  No special
bracing or frame ties were used in any of the Challengers.
 Newman remembers that the Challengers were wrenched for the movie by Max
Balchowsky, who also prepared the Mustangs and Chargers for Bullitt..."  

[url]www.agora.demon.co.uk/vpoint.htm[/url]






Link Posted: 11/27/2001 6:00:35 PM EDT
[#35]
ok the deal with bullitt is that it was really done as shown by the actors. no camera tricks. all film shot in real time on location, if you can get a recently released version it has footage of the practiceing at i believe willow springs racetrack in the movie cars... vanishing point was good But RONIN kicked butt. the only flaw is in some scenes of the early Audi getaway you can see smoke from the motorcycle that has the camera on it. the movie stunts were done by a frenchman that runs a traveling auto stunt show in europe.. hope that helps a little. also the mustang is a 390 the 429 did not exsist in 68 but check out thye collectable winchester shotgun in the dodge. also somebody might as well tell you the dodge loses 5 hubcaps watch for that...
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 6:06:50 PM EDT
[#36]
Quoted:
Now that we've got all the "loose steering wheel nuts" in one place...
Didja know that...
View Quote



Or that,
in "Le Mans", McQueen's Porsche 917 was actually a Lola with a Porsche body on the frame?!?

[url]http://www.caferacer.com/steve2.html[/url]


[img]http://www.caferacer.com/graphics/harv1.jpg[/img]

Link Posted: 11/27/2001 7:34:23 PM EDT
[#37]
Just to add my 2 cents--

Bullitt is great because there are no special effects, real cars , real drivers, real film. As said before, the Mustang was a 390GT and the Charger a 440 automatic. Neither car was completly unmodified. The Mustang recieved suspension to help the handling and the Charger got very small tires to restrict it in the corners. This was done to give the Mustang a fighting chance[:)]-- seriously. Watch the movie and the Charger flat out leaves the Mustang on all the straightaways. McQueen also requested the Mustang lose the grill emblem, get mag wheels, a have a dent put in the side to better reflect the type of car his character would really have.

McQueen did a lot of his own driving but not all of it. He had a stuntman. The scene where he overshoots the turn and does the sweet, smokey burnout backing up was a total accident on McQueen's part, but it looked so good and added realism, so it was left in.

Like  stated the Vanishing Point Challengers were not Hemis. Still the 440RTs are still cool as hell.

The cool thing about both these movies were that at the time these were brand-new cars that were being thrashed on the screen. they look cool now because they are all icons of american muscle, but at the time anyone could trot down to the dealership and but one.

The Ronin chase is great, but it is different. The actual chase in Ronin rocks, but the cars are nothing memorable. It is the cars themselves in Bullitt and Vanishing Point that give the movies their mystique. To this day if I see a fastback Mustang, I think "That would so much cooler if it were painted green."



edited cause i no spell por caca
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 8:00:59 PM EDT
[#38]
I have heard some very nice mustangs, and nothing quite sounds like a mustang.  I like the 60's body, the late 80's body (squarer) GT. I have seen a black late 80's early 90's Cobra II with 6 speed Borg Warner trans. Incredibly tricked out car and the best sounding Engine I have ever heard out of a Stang, it was sweet. When the driver would get on it, you could see the car bite into the assfault and hunker down low. It is beautiful.

Benjamin
Link Posted: 11/27/2001 8:39:01 PM EDT
[#39]
Quoted:
Steve McQueen could drive.

Race cars, motorcycles, you name it.

Fast.

Supposedly a pretty competent crowd hung out at his place.

Who was the guy did the motorcycle jump at the start of the War2 prison camp movie?  Was it McQueen too?
View Quote


Yes, Steve McQueen did his own motorcycle jumps and lay down in "The Great Escape".

My best friend (who grew up in SF) and I used to take his dad's 70 429 LTD and go hauling ass around SF in the middle of the night, jumping the hill tops and bottoming out in the intersections just like in Bullit. Really thrashed the car. Several years later his dad gave it to me for free to tow my race car.

Edited to add: Citadel - you probably needed to be growing up during the muscle car era to really appreciate the impact Bullit had on people and us "Speed Demons" in particular.

Also, McQueen did actually drive a stint in a GT40 for one of the Ford factory sponsored teams in at least one Lemans race that I know of. He was the epitome of [i]COOL[/i].
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