Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
Automotive Lifestyle
AUTOS: Hollywood’s Hottest Car Chases; To Live and Die in LA (1985)
Imagine being in Pankow’s front row seat with someone not named Bill Hickman.
David Harris  |  Posted November 10, 2010   Charlotte, NC
(Photo: Getty)
To Live and Die in LA, starring a young Willem Defoe, was considered by many as director William Friedkin’s West Coast ode to his 1971 hit, The French Connection. Defoe’s character Eric ‘Rick’ Masters was an illegal counterfeiter who killed U.S. Secret Service Agent Richard Chance’s (played by William Petersen) partner, Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene), just days before retirement. Chance and his new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow), went on an intense ‘above the law’ pursuit to avenge Hart’s death and topple Masters’ building criminal empire.

Much like The French Connection 14 years prior, Friedkin wanted to create a memorable chase scene. This time however, it was two non-descript American government cars going against heavy Los Angeles traffic. The movie was based on the novel written by former secret service agent, Gerald Petievich, but the chase was added exclusively for cinema. The scene saw Chance and Vukovich trying to escape tailing federal agents as they were in the process of ‘proving’ their undercover credibility to finally get ‘in’ with Masters.

Its been said that Friedkin came up with the wrong-way car chase idea after falling asleep behind the wheel returning home from a friend’s 1963 wedding. He woke up in the wrong lane, veered back, sparking a creative moment he eventually produced some 22 years later. The chase itself took six weeks to develop; as Petersen performed a lot of his own driving stunts, highlighted by actor John Pankow’s nervous reactions to each high-speed obstacle. In true Friedkin style, Pankow wasn’t acting, as he too, was in the car. There are many who feel this chase scene is among the ‘top 10’ of all time. Do you agree?

What to look for… Take note how diverse the obstacles are throughout the scene, and then imagine being in Pankow’s front row seat with someone not named Bill Hickman. Yikes.

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/
david_harris's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Harris

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.