Hello everyone, this video will take you on a nostalgic trip back to the glorious era of filmmaking in the 1970s. Back when CGI was non-existent, and car chases were performed by real-life stunt professionals who risked their lives to create cinematic gold. These car chase movies were exciting and plentiful, making for a perfect evening at the drive-in on a hot summer night. In this video, we’ll take a look at the top 10 best 1970s car chase films.
Kicking off our list at number 10 is “McQ” from 1974, one of John Wayne’s last movies. Wayne portrays a police detective trying to clean up a corrupt Seattle police force with the help of his trusty 1973 Firebird Trans Am Super Duty 455 named the Green Hornet. The film features Hollywood’s first cannon-assisted rollover car stunt, which almost turned deadly for legendary stunt person Hal Needham. Thankfully, a different stunt person performed the actual stunt in the beach car chase scene near the end of the movie.
At number 9, we have “White Lightning” from 1973, starring Burt Reynolds as Gator McCluskey, seeking revenge for his brother’s demise in the world of moonshine runners. The film offers plenty of car chase action with Hal Needham’s coordination. Interestingly, the movie was supposed to be directed by Steven Spielberg, but he bowed out after a couple of months of pre-production work to direct another car chase movie, “Sugarland Express.”
Coming in at number 8 is “Gone in 60 Seconds” from 1974, featuring one of the longest car chase scenes in film history clocking in at 40 minutes. The movie revolves around a group of car thieves who aim to steal 48 cars within five days to net a cool $400,000 from an overseas buyer with questionable income sources. 127 cars were destroyed or damaged during the production of this classic car chase flick.
At number 7, we have “Duel” from 1971, a cult classic suspense thriller where Dennis Weaver portrays a middle-aged salesman on his way across the desert to a business meeting. Along the way, he encounters a road-raging hulking beast of an ugly old truck that stalks him and attempts to run him over, resulting in awesome vehicle stunt work and crashes galore.
Kicking it old school at number 6 is “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry” from 1974, featuring one of the longest car chases in film history. Peter Fonda, Adam Rork, and Susan George rob a grocery store to get enough money to build their own race car and pursue their dream of racing in NASCAR. The movie features cool muscle cars from that era, such as the 1969 Dodge Charger RT painted in Chrysler’s citron yellow color with the 440 cubic inch magnum engine under the hood.
Burning rubber and getting gone at number 5 is “Vanishing Point” from 1971, starring Barry Newman as an outlaw car delivery driver who stops at nothing to get a white 1970 Dodge Challenger RT with a 440 cubic inch magnum engine nestled between its front fenders from Denver to San Francisco at law-breaking speeds in under 48 hours.
At number 4, we have “The Driver” from 1978, where Ryan O’Neal plays an alienated lone wolf, an exceptionally talented bank robbery getaway driver hot on the trail of an obsessive detective played by Bruce Dern.
Taking the silver at number 3 is “Smokey and the Bandit” from 1977, an iconic film that teamed up Burt Reynolds and legendary stunt person Hal Needham as director to produce what has become a definitive car chase comedy flick of the 1970s. The movie revolves around bandit and his truck-driving sidekick Cletus Snowman Snow, who illegally transport a truckload of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia, for an $80,000 payday. Sheriff Buford T. Justice is in hot pursuit, making for one long car chase with some comedic ad-libs thrown in by the stellar cast.
Taking the podium finish at number 2 is “The Seven-Ups” from 1973, brought to us by the same director that produced “The French Connection” and “Bullet.” The movie stars Roy Scheider as the leader of the Seven-Ups, a squad of plainclothes police officers who use dirty, mostly illegal tactics to catch bad guys and send them away to prison for seven years or more. The film includes an epic chase scene through the upper west side of Manhattan in New York City, with both cars grabbing some air during the course of the 10 and a half minute chase.
And finally, the winner of our top 10 1970s car chase films is “The French Connection” from 1971. The film stars Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle, an NYPD detective who is on the hunt for a French drug smuggler and his crew. The main car chase scene isn’t actually between cars chasing each other; it is between the film’s protagonist and an escaping bad guy on an elevated train through Bensonhurst in Brooklyn. The car chase scene was filmed without obtaining proper permits from the city and veered illegally into sections with no police traffic control to keep the public out of harm’s way. In the uncontrolled areas, stunt drivers had to evade actual traffic and pedestrians, making for some nail-biting moments on screen.
That’s it for our countdown list of the top 10 car chase movies of the 1970s. We hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Let us know in the comments section which movies you would have included and whether you agree with our list. As always, thanks for watching, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share to help keep this channel going.