10 of the Best Movie Foot Chases

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Brick (2005)

Arguably the least kinetic of the scenes mentioned in this list, Brick‘s foot chase impresses thanks to style and humour. Director Rian Johnson, who went on to direct Looper and who is also going to be at the helm of a Star Wars spinoff film, keeps the number of shots and locations needed down to a minimum, playing with sound to drive home this short scene’s amusing finale.

Ong Bak (2003)

Ong Bak thrust Tony Jaa into the spotlight, and rightfully so. The martial arts expert showcased what he was capable of in this film, with one scene in particular going great lengths to show his physical prowess. Chased by an army of baddies, Jaa runs over and around all matter of obstacles in a sequence that is as creative as it is amusing.

The Third Man (1949)

Carol Reed’s masterpiece is influential in many respects, and this beautifully executed chase scene towards the end of the film stands as one of cinema’s iconic sequences. From the gorgeous cinematography to the taut, precise editing, the culmination of the many inquiries made by Joseph Cotton’s Holly – after the apparent death of an old friend – is a thing of cinematic history.

Unfortunately, the best video we found does not come with the film’s original iconic score. Still, the visuals speak for themselves.

RocknRolla (2008)

What many films seem to forget is that a foot chase is seriously tiring stuff. In real life, some foot chases would cease after a while because the two parties are simply exhausted. Thankfully, Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla takes this into account, providing us with an energetic and hilarious chase that sees Gerard Butler running from an unbeatable Russian. “What are these guys made of!?” Idris Elba and Tom Hardy also take part in their own getaways.

Apocalypto (2006)

Mel Gibson’s fantastic adventure-thriller Apocalypto is ultimately one long chase sequence, but, in order to cut it down to one particular chase, we’re going to refer to the scene involving an angry jaguar that gets in on the action. When you’re chasing someone down, the last thing you expect is that a carnivorous animal is actually on your tail at the same time.

G.T.