The 7 Most Influential Action Movie Scenes: Guns, Cars And Robots

One of the greatest car chases ever put to film is in 1968’s Bullitt. Directed by Peter Yates, this sequence features Steve McQueen as the titular character in a thrilling pursuit through the streets of San Francisco. It’s a scene that raised the bar on action movie car chases forever.

The sequence begins slowly, with Bullitt being tailed by the bad guys. He catches on to them immediately and turns the tables, and after losing his foes for a moment, his forest green Mustang appears in their rearview mirror. They literally fasten their seatbelts as the music drops and gives way to squealing tires.

Editor Frank P. Keller won an Oscar for what follows. A series of POV shots put the viewer in the driver’s seat for this gripping chase. Not a word is spoken for more than 10 minutes, yet the tension, stakes, emotions, and geography are perfectly clear, all the way to the fiery end.

The car chase from Bullitt is easily one of the best in any action movie, and its influence can be found in the work and Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, and many more.