Top 10 Bond chases named

MBE_

Top 10 Bond chases named

Staff Reporter
Fri, 13 Oct 2006

A Citroen 2CV plays the leading role in the greatest James Bond chase sequence of all time, a survey revealed.

Roger Moore’s classic escape in the 1981 film, 'For Your Eyes Only', topped a poll conducted by motoring website, 4Car, for Jeremy Clarkson’s auto-fest MPH Show '06.

The infamous 2CV sequence, which helped rake in a cool $194m in the box office originally, saw Bond abandon his venerable Lotus Esprit for a bright yellow 2CV in order to escape hitman Hector Gonzales and his henchmen.

Moore easily out-ran Sean Connery and his Aston Martin DB5 chase in 'Goldfinger', together with Pierce Brosnan’s destructive tank chase in the 1995 smash-hit, 'Goldeneye'. Both polled 13 percent for joint second place.

Bond's car of choice, the Aston Martin, featured in three of the top ten shortlisted sequences — the last being the invisible Vanquish V12 in 'Die Another Day'.

Other memorable moments included the underwater Lotus Esprit in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' at number five and the first ever Bond car chase, Sean Connery and his Sunbeam in the 1962 classic, 'Dr No'.

The Bond Top 10

1. Roger Moore in a Citroen 2CV; 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981)
2. Sean Connery in an Aston Martin DB5; 'Goldfinger' (1964)
2. Pierce Brosnan in a T-55 tank in St Petersburg; 'Goldeneye' (1995)
4. Roger Moore in an AMC Hornet 'X' hatchback in Thailand, 'The Man With The Golden Gun' (1974)
5. Roger Moore in a Lotus Esprit; 'The Spy Who Loved Me' (1977)
6. Timothy Dalton chasing drug-filled tankers; 'Licence to Kill' (1989)
7. Pierce Brosnan in a remote-controlled BMW 750; 'Tomorrow Never Dies' (1997)
8. Sean Connery driving a Sunbeam followed by three assassins in a hearse; 'Dr. No' (1962)
9. Timothy Dalton in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage down a snowy hillside; 'The Living Daylights' (1987)
10. Pierce Brosnan in the Aston Martin Vanquish V12; 'Die Another Day' (2002

Loeffelholz

The only one I'd quarrel with is 10, which to me is more of a duel between supercars than a chase.

Enjoyed them all, though.

:007)

blueman

Wow, the stock car chase from OHMSS didn't make the list??? Poor George, dissed again.

emtiem

That's what I voted for! For once one of these polls is actually right (although the DB5 chase is hardly a chase at all- the GoldenEye DB5 drive is much better).

I think (and voted for second!) the TND carpark chase should be much higher; it's an excellent sequence- lovely and tight and with a great concept.
Notable mentions to the TMWTGG, LTK, GE Tank and TSWLM chases (mainly the Lotus one merely because that car looks so cool and is being driven so hard! It's not even that great a chase!).

emtiem

Actually, doesn't the MPH show have some sort of Bond car-themed stunt show this year? Anyone know what's in that?

MBE_

emtiem wrote:

Actually, doesn't the MPH show have some sort of Bond car-themed stunt show this year? Anyone know what's in that?

I don't know but here's their webpage:

http://www.mphshow.co.uk/

Loeffelholz

emtiem wrote:

That's what I voted for! For once one of these polls is actually right (although the DB5 chase is hardly a chase at all- the GoldenEye DB5 drive is much better).

I think (and voted for second!) the TND carpark chase should be much higher; it's an excellent sequence- lovely and tight and with a great concept.
Notable mentions to the TMWTGG, LTK, GE Tank and TSWLM chases (mainly the Lotus one merely because that car looks so cool and is being driven so hard! It's not even that great a chase!).

Quite right about the TND carpark escapade...very cool that one, I thought.

words

I have to say, I watched TSWLM again recently and I don't think any chase in the series gets the adrenaline pumping as much as the sequence with the Espirit. A cool car being driven hard through loads of dangerous situations and a fantastic payoff at the end. All to the sound of the brilliant Bond '77 theme. Fantastic!

Sir Hillary Bray

words wrote:

I have to say, I watched TSWLM again recently and I don't think any chase in the series gets the adrenaline pumping as much as the sequence with the Espirit. A cool car being driven hard through loads of dangerous situations and a fantastic payoff at the end. All to the sound of the brilliant Bond '77 theme. Fantastic!

Absolutely. Reading through the list, that's the one that stands out for me. I always felt the 2CV chase was a little too jokey.

Lady Rose

Loeffelholz wrote:

Quite right about the TND carpark escapade...very cool that one, I thought.

One of my favourites also, but mainly because I happened to be in Brent Cross Shopping Centre when they filmed it At first I was a little peeved to find a large section of the car park closed, but obviously I didn't mind when I knew why ! Very cool, having posters and signs around to not be alarmed by the sounds !

On the whole, a fairly accurate list IMO.

RogueAgent

blueman wrote:

Wow, the stock car chase from OHMSS didn't make the list??? Poor George, dissed again.

Yes, it's criminal actually. The DAD chase wasn't even a chase at all as Loeff as already noted.

darenhat

I feel the tank chase in GE is over-rated. Interesting, yes, but it could have been so much more. Really all the tank did was run over things and smash through walls. Any bloke in a tank can do that. I was waiting for Bond to put his signature on the whole scene and really it make it something special but it never came about.

Dan Same

I love almost all of the chases on the list but I think the criteria is too limited as one of my absolute favourite chase scenes was ineligable. I'm speaking of the first skiing chase scene in OHMSS. A brilliant chase, but I guess that since it doesn't involve a car, it doesn't count.

Dan Same

words wrote:

I have to say, I watched TSWLM again recently and I don't think any chase in the series gets the adrenaline pumping as much as the sequence with the Espirit. A cool car being driven hard through loads of dangerous situations and a fantastic payoff at the end. All to the sound of the brilliant Bond '77 theme. Fantastic!

That was a magnificent chase. It's amazing to think that TSWLM had such extraordinary action set pieces, yet it's almost 30 years old. But seriously, I'm quite suprised that it wasn't higher up on the list. I don't have a favourite Bond chase scene but that would certainly be a contender.

emtiem

Dan Same wrote:

That was a magnificent chase. It's amazing to think that TSWLM had such extraordinary action set pieces, yet it's almost 30 years old. But seriously, I'm quite suprised that it wasn't higher up on the list. I don't have a favourite Bond chase scene but that would certainly be a contender.

I don't think it's all that great a chase- it's very episodic and there's not much in the way of obstacles. As I said above I think the only thing which makes it good is the utter fabulousness of the car and the funky music That's not to say I don't love it: the bit where Bond does that turn in the road to try and throw the helicopter off is indeed fantastic!
I'd say the 2CV and carpark chases were much better conceived and planned as tight, perfectly formed sequences and both also benefit from really exciting soundtracks (yes; Bill Conti's is a bit naff, but it gets the blood racing! ).

words

emtiem wrote:

Dan Same wrote:

That was a magnificent chase. It's amazing to think that TSWLM had such extraordinary action set pieces, yet it's almost 30 years old. But seriously, I'm quite suprised that it wasn't higher up on the list. I don't have a favourite Bond chase scene but that would certainly be a contender.

I don't think it's all that great a chase- it's very episodic and there's not much in the way of obstacles. As I said above I think the only thing which makes it good is the utter fabulousness of the car and the funky music That's not to say I don't love it: the bit where Bond does that turn in the road to try and throw the helicopter off is indeed fantastic!
I'd say the 2CV and carpark chases were much better conceived and planned as tight, perfectly formed sequences and both also benefit from really exciting soundtracks (yes; Bill Conti's is a bit naff, but it gets the blood racing! ).

But what about the motorbike & sidecar bit with exploding lorries and the chopper pursuit with Caroline Munro's lewd wink, and the heartstopping moment when the Lotus shoots off the jetty and ooooo everything!

emtiem

Great moments, but all a bit bitty: the sidecar blows up...a little wait and then a Cortina turns up... Bond deals with them... and then a helicopter turns up- it's all very episodic; like progressing through the levels of a computer game. The other top chases are just more fluid and better devised. I do love the Lotus chase, but it's not one of the best as it's more a series of incidents than a whole sequence.

Dan Same

emtiem wrote:

I don't think it's all that great a chase- it's very episodic and there's not much in the way of obstacles. As I said above I think the only thing which makes it good is the utter fabulousness of the car and the funky music That's not to say I don't love it: the bit where Bond does that turn in the road to try and throw the helicopter off is indeed fantastic!
I'd say the 2CV and carpark chases were much better conceived and planned as tight, perfectly formed sequences and both also benefit from really exciting soundtracks (yes; Bill Conti's is a bit naff, but it gets the blood racing! ).

True, it is very episodic. But I don't think that's a bad thing. I think it is a very creative and incredibly entertaining sequence which gives me much more joy than many, if not most, of the other chase sequences in the series.

Alex

The one from Thunderball where Simmons gave everyone a scare - should have been included.

Moonraker 5

My personal favourite is the Lotus sequence from Spy. Episodic, yes, but just so cool that it deserves its own special little freezer. One, the car. Two, the way it's being driven - that 360 in the road to shake the helicopter in particular. Three, the music - 'nuff said. Four, Roger's subdued disdain, as if having a lovely drive spoiled - "I know, don't tell me." Five, Naomi, the little minx :007) And finally, it doesn't end when the Lotus leaves the road.

The Citroën 2CV is another favourite of mine, I won't quibble with its first place. Though I do have to disagree with 2 and 3. The Aston in Goldfinger is iconic, of course, but it's hardly involved in what could be defined a "chase". And as said, the tank sequence is just a tank smashing through stuff, it doesn't really do it for me. I'd put the BMW 750iL and Kenworth tankers higher though.

words

Moonraker 5 wrote:

My personal favourite is the Lotus sequence from Spy. Episodic, yes, but just so cool that it deserves its own special little freezer. One, the car. Two, the way it's being driven - that 360 in the road to shake the helicopter in particular. Three, the music - 'nuff said. Four, Roger's subdued disdain, as if having a lovely drive spoiled - "I know, don't tell me." Five, Naomi, the little minx :007) And finally, it doesn't end when the Lotus leaves the road.

The Citroën 2CV is another favourite of mine, I won't quibble with its first place. Though I do have to disagree with 2 and 3. The Aston in Goldfinger is iconic, of course, but it's hardly involved in what could be defined a "chase". And as said, the tank sequence is just a tank smashing through stuff, it doesn't really do it for me. I'd put the BMW 750iL and Kenworth tankers higher though.

Yes, I don't think the importance of Roger's performance can be understated. He is fabulously cool in the whole Lotus sequence. Even the fish bit when they come out of the sea at the end doesn't overstep the humour mark IMO.

BTW I am a big fan of the 2CV chase too!

RogueAgent

Forgive me if I've overlooked this but shouldn't Brosnan's boat chase in TWINE pre-teaser qualify?

I mean the moment Q warns him and the camera shot of the speedboat jetting to the waters below was just awesome.

I don't think the underwater tie-straightening scene should take points away from this chase sequence.

Dan Same

I have to admit that I'm not a particularly big fan of the tank chase in GE. Chase scenes are not, unless done well, my favourite thing about action films and the tank chase in GE is IMO simply not creative enough and done well enough to justify it being named the joint second best chase scene of all time. I think that several of the chases that are ranked below it, such as the chase sequences in TSWLM and TMWTGG, are superior. I would also argue that the greatest Brosnan chase sequence was the remote-controlled BMW 750 in TND.

caractacus potts

is it just carchases? the threadtitle doesnt say so
I like the speedboat chase in LaLD
I even like the Suthin sherrif during that sequence, his cuzzin Billybobs got the fastest speedboat in alla Louisiana
I think that was the first time I ever saw what a bayou looked like

and the big escape from Blofeld mountain aerie squence in OHMSS is one of my favourites, it seems to take up almost all the 2nd half of the movie, is genuinely suspenseful, and impressively choreographed
didnt they hire a guy just to design skichase stunts and he came back for several more movies in the 70s? I seem to remember seeing him intervewed in one of the DVD extras

and if its just cars: gotta be the Lotus/submarine
that alone made me a 007geek for life

MBE_

RogueAgent wrote:

Forgive me if I've overlooked this but shouldn't Brosnan's boat chase in TWINE pre-teaser qualify?

I mean the moment Q warns him and the camera shot of the speedboat jetting to the waters below was just awesome.

I don't think the underwater tie-straightening scene should take points away from this chase sequence.

I agree it's a spectacular chase and may be my favorite of the series but I do think the list is just car chases though it's not mentioned in this article. Otherwise there are also a couple of ski chases and the bike chase in TND that I'd put on the list over some in the top 10.

I do consider the DAD scene a chase because Bond is being chased, it just turns into a duel then turns back into a chase through the Ice Palace. I think it's actually more well done than say the tank chase in GE which is great for the sheer spectacle of impeccably suited Bond in a tank detroying parts of beautiful St. Petersburg but it isn't directed all that well -- it lags. Though not as much as the boat chase in LALD which starts out great and then seems to go on and on.

The two chases in TND are superior to GE's in every way (as is most of the action though GE has the better opening stunt and one of the best hand to hand fights) and I'd agree the BMW parking lot chase deserves to be higher if not contending for #1. Though the Citroen 2CV is just top notch. Both show it's more about the chase than the vehicle, which are hardly the sexiest cars Bonds driven.

As for TMWTGG, I recall little about that chase except for the ending stunt which is specactular and then tainted by that stupid sound effect. But that's the stunt that's great not the chase. So I can't see how it belings on this list, let alone that high up.

As as much as I love the DB5, the GF chase just isn't much of anything. The GE sequence with Bond racing Xenia, though not a chase uses the car infinitely better.

MBE

Moore Not Less

MBE_ wrote:

As for TMWTGG, I recall little about that chase except for the ending stunt which is specactular and then tainted but that stupid sound affect. But that's the stunt that's great not the chase. So I can't see how it belings on this list, let alone that high up.

Yes, it's the Astro-Spiral car jump that's great (with the sound turned down ) and not the actual car chase in TMWTGG. Cars weaving in and out of traffic, one riding the kerbs, police cars crashing into each other, etc. It's all pretty average even by 1970's standards.

caractacus potts

that tankthang in Goldeneye I did not like at all
it was at that point in the movie I decided the movie was a sum of illogical setpieces dragged out interminably until every last prop had blowed up
the Brosnan chase I really liked was the handcuff escape sequence in TND
that was like a circus routine, and they worked alot of possibilities out of that setup
part of it was on a motorcycle so it even counts for this list

arthur pringle

RogueAgent wrote:

Forgive me if I've overlooked this but shouldn't Brosnan's boat chase in TWINE pre-teaser qualify?

I mean the moment Q warns him and the camera shot of the speedboat jetting to the waters below was just awesome.

I don't think the underwater tie-straightening scene should take points away from this chase sequence.

They had a special on television over here a few years ago (hosted by Sir Roger Moore) where they counted down the ten best Bond moments or scenes or whatever. The speedboat chase from TWINE actually finished in first place if I remember correctly.

I do think it was probably the most fun set-piece during the Brosnan era personally.

Loeffelholz

I guess I'm going to place a preliminary, anticipatory vote for the upcoming 'free-running' sequence in CR to crack the top ten (whatever that might be).

If they can realize what's in the script (and the trailer seems to show they've a good chance of doing so), it should be quite a bit of fun

742617000027

I always thought the Tomorrow Never Dies remote control chase was one of the best chase sequences in the series. After that, I suppose the Citroen chase sequence is okay, reminds me a bit too much of Commando when Arnie's hurtling down a mountain in that 4x4 with no break pads.

I've been to the place where they filmed the Citroen chase though , so I'm not unhappy at all that it won.

darenhat

742617000027 wrote:

. After that, I suppose the Citroen chase sequence is okay, reminds me a bit too much of Commando when Arnie's hurtling down a mountain in that 4x4 with no break pads.

It's an excellent chase scene...I suppose Arnie was doing well to copy it.