Italian job 'best movie car chase'

8:02pm Sunday 20th July 2008

Filmgoers have selected The Italian Job as featuring their favourite movie car chase.

Two out of the three top car chases were done using a symbol of "British cool", the Mini Cooper, according to a poll from Pearl & Dean.

In a survey of more than 3,000 people at cinema website www.pearlanddean.com, The Italian Job was named as having the best car chase of all time with a massive 25% of the vote.

The pursuit follows three Mini Coopers around the streets of Turin, Italy, at break-neck speed.

In second place with 16% is The Blues Brothers car chase, famed for its car pile-up climax.

Minis featured again with The Bourne Identity in third place, with 15% of the vote. The stunts were carried out on the streets of Paris.

Kathryn Jacob, chief executive of Pearl & Dean, said: "You can see why these film car chases topped the polls.

"Many of them don't use massive amounts of special effects, which makes the chase more impressive. Featuring Minis rather than flashier cars appeals to the public because it injects a touch of British cool to the chase and adds cult status to the film."

Other car chases in the poll were Ronin, shot through the streets and tunnels of Paris and Batman Begins, with the Batmobile traversing the roofs of Gotham City.

Bullitt also featured, with Detective Frank Bullitt, played by Steve McQueen, chasing a 1968 Dodge Charger in a 1968 Ford Mustang around San Francisco.

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