I’ve a real passion for thrillers. That grab you-at the start and hold you there until the final frame. Because of the pandemic, many of these films destined for the big screen, end up on a television. Commercial-free.
I don’t know about you, but when a thriller pops up that I’ve seen many times before, I’ll watch it with the same intensity when viewing the first time.
Tops are the thrillers from the past. Finding them is not always easy. Until now, when I stumbled on a recent article in the New York Times by Mekado Murphy under the heading ‘There’s a fast and furious art to car chases.
The best ones, Murphy tells us, ‘create the same adrenalin rush in their audiences as they do in their characters.' Generating that heightened you-are-there energy which involves meticulous preparation’.
Then comes a big surprise: he picks what I consider the best five, and describes each one. Ok, so how the heck will we ever see them again? Unless we stumble on them. Well, breath easy because with each he tells you where you can watch them,
Take Terminator2: Judgment Day (1991). It’s the sequel to James Cameron’s 1991 hit. You can rent it on Cineplex, Microsoft or iTunes.
Want to see the original Bullitt with Steve McQueen? With one of the most spectacular car chases ever captured on film. McQueen is a San Francisco detective driving a Ford Mustang with the bad guys in a Dodge Charger. Find it on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Microsoft, YouTube or iTunes.
The French Connection (1970), William Friedkins’ Oscar winning film with Gene Hackman as Jimmy (Popeye) Doyle. The villain is trying to escape on an elevated train line with Popeye following in a car below. Stream on Crave, Amazon Prime, Sraz. Rent on Cineplex, Microsoft.
Who could resist not settling down to watch the Fast & Furious movies with Van Diesel where we have a crime Lord’s cash-filled vault attached to two cars with the cops in pursuit. No CGI here. Shot live. Hmm. Stream on Netflix, rent on YouTube, Cineplex, Google, Play, Microsoft or iTunes.
Author’s comment: There’s one evening’s total entertainment package keeping you up until dawn. For me, all of these are worth watching, especially when you might have thought you’d never see them again.
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