Car Chase Sub-Genre

The chase sub-genre is an action sub-genre but it can also be included in the other genres.  The car chase has been used in comedies, horror, foreign films, and basically any other genre.  It is not the typical sub-genre in that the cars are used in these films as an outlet for the outrage stemming from the gas crunch of the 1970’s.  These films took cars that could have been forgotten and brought them back to life in the form of high-octane action in situations in which normal drivers would never find themselves.  These films brought back a feeling of excitement and adventure that the gas crunch put an end to.  Car chases began in earnest in 1971 with Vanishing Point and continued through the ‘80’s with the comedies Smokey and the Bandit 1, 2, and 3 and Cannonball Run 1 and 2.  Included in the sub-genre is a 1968 movie Bullitt.  This movie is included because it was the first to contain a 15-minute chase scene using high-powered muscle cars.  This movie paved the way for Vanishing Point, Gone In Sixty Seconds, Two Lane Blacktop, Grand Theft Auto, and the other movies in the car chase sub-genre.

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Chad Murders                                                                                                                                                                                                    University of Houston, English 2321 Computers in Humanities.
Revised: February 27, 2003 .