A couple of death-defying stunts in movies are always a good way to get the crowd going.
Aside from martial arts and high dives, car stunts have always been popular among movie-goers who like thrilling and adrenaline-pumping scenes.
The Wildest Car Stunts In Cinema History
The Fast and the Furious (2001): Double Train Jump and Charger Flip
The infamous train scene from The Fast and the Furious is considered one of the most iconic scenes from the franchise一long before CGI became a thing and vehicle stunts turned into plane jump-offs and other moves that are realistically impossible.
Dominic Toretto’s Dodge Charger going up against Brian O’Connor’s Toyota Supra in a quarter-mile sprint to outlast an oncoming freight train is definitely one of the better scenes of the franchise.
Aside from showing off the American muscle going head-to-head with a renowned Japanese auto, the adrenaline-pumping scene set the standard for car stunts一nothing fancy, but it was a good old car chase that had viewers clutching their seats.
And to top it all off, we got to see Toretto’s Charger get T-boned by a truck一as if our hearts weren’t pounding enough after both cars barely made it out of the train’s path.
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003): Car Lands On Luxury Yacht
The Fast and Furious 2 cast started the trend for ludicrous car stunts in their movie. The climax of 2 Fast Too Furious saw Brian O’Connor and Roman Pearce launch their 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Yenko SYC off a conveniently located ramp and into the fleeing luxury yacht owned by villain Carter Verone. With the help of undercover FBI agent and O’Connor’s love interest Monica Fuentes, our daredevil heroes were able to apprehend Verona.
This stunt was shot in three phases and featured practical special effects, including using a different car for each phase. The Fast and Furious 2 cast and crew got to launch one car into the sea during the first phase, crane another vehicle through the air in the second phase, and pre-thrashed a third for use in the last phase.
Casino Royale (2006): Record-Breaking Barrel Roll
Over the years, Daniel Craig has proven to be a worthy successor to Pierce Brosnan in his role as James Bond一the legendary superspy.
Craig has taken part in a lot of gut-wrenching scenes in the 007 franchise, but the Aston Martin DBS barrel roll from Casino Royale is quite hard to beat.
In a furious attempt to save kidnapped Vesper Lynd from terrorist banker Le Chiffre, Bond went off in hot pursuit with his Aston Martin DBS and raced through the countryside of Montenegro.
During his chase, Bond was confronted by a hogtied Vesper in the middle of the road, which caused him to swerve and flip his car in the process.
It wasn’t an ordinary canon roll, though, as the scene set the world record for having the most number of car flips in cinema history at seven.
What made this scene even more interesting was that the stuntman in the scene, Adam Kirley, initially thought that the DBS was only capable of flipping over three times after a few test runs.
Also, the DBS wasn’t launched until the year after the movie, which made the model one of the most highly anticipated cars during its debut.
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017): The Ford Mustang Jump-Drift
Who could forget Baba Yaga?
When the first John Wick movie debuted in 2014, it did not disappoint. Packed with ridiculous stunts and an amazing cast, the franchise easily became a cult classic.
Fast forward to three years later, John Wick: Chapter 2 garnered even more fans with its action-filled scenes and the charisma Keanu Reeves has brought to his character.
In the franchise’s second installment, the first five minutes easily turned into an all-time favorite with John Wick reuniting with his beloved Ford Mustang Boss 429 (or Mach 1, depending on who you ask).
The drifting Ford Mustang was a sight to behold in those first few minutes, especially when John Wick kicked it in reverse and went crazy all over the warehouse.
One scene, though, was a cut above the rest. While making his way out of the chop shop, John Wick pulled off a sleek jump-drift through the warehouse doors before upping the ante.
The stunt seemed a bit simple compared to the others on this list, but stunt coordinator Darrin Prescott would beg to differ.
According to Prescott, the stunt was so complex that it took about seven or eight takes. The scene even cost them one Mustang after a stunt driver clipped the steel door frame in midair.
Of course, the beloved Mustang didn’t go unscathed.
But even with a missing door, shattered windshields, and dozens of nasty dents, the engine remained intact, making it a great car choice should you want to switch careers and take the role of John Wick from Keanu Reeves himself.
Police Story (1985): Downhill Chase
If it’s a Jackie Chan movie, you know it’s good.
The legendary actor has always been known for doing his own stunts, most of them don’t involve any safety equipment, and his work in Police Story isn’t any different.
In true Jackie Chan fashion, Police Story was filled with parkour-like acrobatics, martial arts, and unrestrained ceiling drops.
But what exactly did the movie have that set it apart from Chan’s other projects? The downhill chase, of course.
In an effort to put a local drug lord behind bars, the Hong Kong Police Force conducted a sting operation in a shantytown, which isn’t exactly the type of area where cars could be seen parading the streets.
The area was so packed with uphill makeshift houses that tracking down criminals was better done on foot to minimize collateral damage.
But for Police Story, the scene was met with a wild car chase that featured a classic Mitsubishi Cordia crashing downhill and destroying homes in pursuit of a criminal.
The movie was actually a box-office hit in Asia in Europe and Jackie Chan himself considered it to be his best action film.
The Dark Knight (2008): Trailer vs. Batpod
The Caped Crusader has always been a fan favorite in the DC universe, and Christopher Nolan went to great lengths to ensure that the Batman franchise is well-represented on the big screen.
The critically acclaimed director was never a fan of CGI and always opted to produce realistic stunts, especially in The Dark Knight, which was the second installment of The Dark Knight Trilogy after Batman Begins.
During the film’s climax, Batman ejects his Batpod from the Batmobile to go head-to-head with the Joker’s tractor-trailer.
Sliding under the truck and attaching tow cables underneath the rig, Batman was able to successfully flip the 18-wheeler一no camera tricks included.
To pull off the scene, stunt driver Jim Wilkey was actually inside the truck to trigger the TNT charge that would flip the truck over.
What’s even more impressive was that the scene was shot in the middle of downtown Chicago’s banking district.
With underground sewers and bank vaults on the line, there was only one place in the entire district where they could have done the scene without damaging the surrounding banks’ infrastructure.
Keep Reading: Related Posts
Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.
