10 Most Intense Car Chases In Movie History
4. Ronin
Ronin might have an overblown and convoluted storyline, but it does feature an utterly brilliant chase through the streets of Paris that's sure to excite any petrolhead.
Extensive use of car point-of-view shots show just how precise and risky so many of these stunts are, making sure we know exactly how much risk there is in tearing through the busy French capital. It's no wonder the chase required the expertise and talent of professional racing drivers to truly sell it. Shocking stunts and an ever-increasing sense of absolute threat ensures we're on tenterhooks the whole time De Niro is in hot pursuit of rival Irish operative Deidre.
By taking us down into the oncoming traffic of a bustling Parisian underpass and featuring an explosive, brutal pile-up midway through the chase, Ronin guns for absolute mayhem and completely achieves it. Director John Frankenheimer was determined to use practical effects to create a real sense of danger, even when CGI was freely available, which meant putting everyone through professional high performance driving training.
Visceral, pulse-pounding and immaculately orchestrated, Ronin's Parisian car chase is one of the all-time greats of the genre.