AUTOS: Hollywoods Hottest Car Chases; The Bourne Identity (2002)

Automotive Lifestyle

AUTOS: Hollywoods Hottest Car Chases; The Bourne Identity (2002)

In the driving scene, Bourne and Marie Kreutz evade local police by going on a high-speed rampage through the streets of Paris

David Harris | Posted November 16, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Note Mini’s peculiar product placement throughout the sequence – it’s not the car itself, either. (Photo: Universal Studios)

Many car aficionados can immediately name their favorite chase scenes. And for the most part, these scenes, many of which have been or will be discussed here, are dramatic, exciting and have an authentic feel. Doug Liman’s 2002 thriller, The Bourne Identity, based on a Robert Ludlum novel of the same title, has such a chase scene, making it a recent classic.

Actor Matt Damon (playing Jason Bourne) plays a field agent hired to assassinate dictator, Nykwana Wombosi. The movie is based around Bourne’s recovery from psychogenic amnesia, and his furious escape from three specially trained CIA ‘assets’ sent to kill him. In the driving scene, Bourne and Marie Kreutz (played by Franka Potenta) evade local police by going on a high-speed rampage through the streets of Paris in an already battered, yet spry, old-school Austin Mini Cooper.

Filmed by renowned second-unit director Alexander Witt, the sequences actually take place in completely different locations throughout the city. They are expertly edited together for cohesiveness, but as director Limon admitted in a later interview, anyone who intimately knew Paris would find it illogical. That being written, the chase is so memorable because the action is non stop, and quite remarkable as this little car once again tames narrow European streets.

Be sure to tune into SPEED on Thanksgiving Night at 8 p.m. ET for the premiere of Hollywood’s Hottest Car Chases.

What to look for… The precision driving in this chase is pretty incredible. When watching, note Mini’s peculiar product placement throughout the sequence – it’s not the car itself, either.

Watch the chase.

Everyone has their favorite car chase scene… and many have multiple ones. On Thanksgiving Night (Nov. 25), SPEED enters the conversation with a two-hour special called, Hollywood’s Hottest Car Chases, premiering at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

New York City’s Pangolin Pictures looks at the last 40 years of cinematic car chases, re-living many great scenes through the eyes of those who created, shot and played out what has become one of Hollywood’s greatest creative contributions. Broken out in themes, this feature presentation is produced to be the most comprehensive look at how this genre has evolved from Steve McQueen’s Bullitt to Matt Damon’s Bourne Identity.

Through Thanksgiving, SPEED will roll out some of our favorites from around the studio here in Charlotte. This not a countdown per se, and we want to hear from you, as we’ll introduce a new car chase scene every Monday through Thursday. Let the Chase Begin…

Here’s What They Are Saying over at Autoblog.com…
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/11/speed-announces-hollywoods-hottest-car-chases-with-mega/