by Kenneth Andrews

Created on: September 01, 2008   Last Updated: July 05, 2009

Chase scenes are at the core of cinema's appeal. They're probably the simplest form of drama you can have, with a very simple suspense element - will whoever's being chased get caught? When they're done well, they tend to be the parts everyone remembers from a film. When they're done badly? Well, equally, they tend to stick out. Everyone has their own reasons for slagging off the 1996 Fox TV version of Doctor Who, but the sight of an ambulance chasing a motorbike through a traffic jam VERY SLOWLY is my bugbear. Putting exciting music over action scenes can go a long way, but you can't polish a turd.

So, the best? In no particular order:

BULLITT: Bullitt has Steve McQueen in it and a scene where he drives really fast down the steep streets of San Francisco. It's a billion years old but still retains a certain charm and excitement that belie its vintage.

THE BLUES BROTHERS: At the time, and for a long time, this had the biggest chase sequence ever filmed, with more than a hundred cars being wrecked over the course of the scene. It's pure comedy, of course, with the highlight being the Illinois Nazis' car being catapulted several hundred metres up into the air. For a film that's (rightly) famed more for its musical numbers, the energy in this sequence is remarkable.

THE MATRIX RELOADED: Everyone was insanely excited at the prospect of a new Matrix film. Until it came out... then they were so disappointed that no one even cared by the time the Matrix Revolutions rolled around. In amongst the insanely boring story of Keanu Reeves going around talking to people and having fights in between, though, there's the freeway scene. Agents jumping on to the bonnets of cars, smashing them in two, cheesy (but brilliant) bike stunts and insanely reckless stunt driving. For a few minutes you actually feel like you're watching a sequel to The Matrix, rather than a deeply dull retread of the first film.

BATMAN RETURNS: At one point in this brilliantly bonkers Tim Burton classic, the Penguin hijacks the Batmobile remotely and goes on a high-speed rampage through Gotham City, while Batman can only sit in his seat and try to override the lock on the controls. The cool-looking Batmobile has obviously been speeded up from the sedate 12mph that it's actually doing, but police cars get smashed up in classic style.

JURASSIC PARK: It took the rest of the trilogy to sink us all back into dino-apathy, but the original Jurassic Park was BRILLIANT, and still pretty exciting today. While

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