16 Great Chase Movies Where Lovable Outlaws Are On The Run From Justice
- 16 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
The Outlaws: Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds) is a truck driver with a good-old-boy personality and a rebellious streak. Carrie (Sally Field) is the hitchhiker he picks up. She's on the run to avoid having to marry a man she doesn't love.
Why Are They On The Run? Bandit has accepted a bet requiring him to illegally transport 400 cases of beer across state lines. That gets Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) on his tail. But Justice's son is also the guy Carrie ditched, so he's after her, too, albeit for more personal reasons.
How Does It All Go Down? Bandit drives a Pontiac Trans Am while his partner Snowman drives the truck containing the beer. As Justice and his deputies give chase, Bandit relies on trucker friends for repeated assists in dodging the men in blue. A helicopter soon joins the chase, making it more difficult to hide. Thanks to Snowman's aggressive driving, the gang is able to smash through a roadblock and deliver the beer. They're a minute late, though, meaning the bet is lost. Bandit then agrees to a second, double-or-nothing bet that will make him go on a run to Boston for clam chowder. He and his cohorts escape, leaving Justice - in his now badly damaged squad car - in the dust, setting up a sequel in the process.
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The Outlaws: Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) are Chicago blues musicians, known for always wearing dark suits and sunglasses.
Why Are They On The Run? Their goal is to reunite their old band to earn money for the orphanage where they were raised. Unfortunately, they run afoul of the law, thanks to Elwood's mile-long rap sheet of driving violations.
How Does It All Go Down? The brothers do indeed reunite their band, traveling around Illinois performing in various bars and clubs. Aside from the police, they're chased by "Illinois Nazis" following an unpleasant encounter with them. There's even a car chase right through the middle of a shopping mall. After the Blues Brothers accrue enough cash to save the orphanage, literally dozens of cops pursue them through Chicago, where they race to City Hall, getting there just in time to turn over the funds. As soon as they do, they're apprehended by law enforcement. Jake goes back to the slammer, taking Elwood with him this time.
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- 35 VOTESPhoto: 20th Century Fox
The Outlaw: Kowalski (Barry Newman) is a Vietnam vet who now works as a professional driver for hire. He's got a dependency to pills.
Why Is He On The Run? Reckless driving is the culprit here. He makes an arrangement with his dealer for free pills if he can get a car from Colorado to California in less than 15 hours. That leads to a lot of speeding.
How Does It All Go Down? Because he's an ace behind the wheel, the cops have a tough time keeping up with Kowalski. He gets encouragement from a radio disc jockey who's following the police pursuit. Because of that DJ's influence, Kowalski becomes something of a folk hero, with people rooting for him to elude the police. The chase extends through the desert, and briefly entails the antihero picking up a couple hitchhikers. Things finally come to a head when the cops set up a road block, utilizing two bulldozers. Realizing he's caught but not wanting to give the police the satisfaction of winning, Kowalski slams into those bulldozers, causing the car to explode with him still inside.
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- Photo: 20th Century Fox
The Outlaws: Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) are just about the two most charismatic and charming outlaws you could ever find. They're the leaders of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang.
Why Are They On The Run? The guys decide to rob a train. Things don't go as planned when Butch blows up the baggage car by using too much dynamite in his effort to get into the train's safe. That puts them squarely in the sights of the authorities.
How Does It All Go Down? Running from the law becomes increasingly difficult, so Butch and Sundance hatch a plan to make a run toward Bolivia. Once there, they find it challenging to carry on in a country where they don't speak the language. They try going straight for a while, but that doesn't work out. They're outlaws at heart. In the end, the men are cornered in a building by lawmen. Perhaps foolishly believing they can still escape, they charge out the front door, guns blazing. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid goes to a freeze-frame on that image, although the intense gunshots in the soundtrack suggest that they're mowed down.
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- 57 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros.
The Outlaws: Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) just escaped from a Texas prison. Needing a hostage to aid in his escape, he kidnaps 8-year-old Jehovah's Witness Philip (T.J. Lowther).
Why Are They On The Run? The prison breakout and kidnapping are more than sufficient to get Texas Ranger Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood) started on a manhunt.
How Does It All Go Down? Although Butch is a bad guy, he discovers a softer side, becoming a surrogate father to Philip. He does everything he can to assuage the kid's fears and keep him safe amid the chaos. He even shoplifts a Halloween costume for the boy, who was never allowed to celebrate the holiday at home. Red, meanwhile, intensifies his search. He gets a lucky break when Philip shoots Butch in the stomach to prevent him from killing a man. Red is able to corner Butch in a field, where he's shot by an FBI agent assisting in the hunt. Red is angry that he couldn't simply arrest Butch, and Philip is reunited with his mother.
- 66 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros.
The Outlaws: Clarence (Christian Slater) is a devoted fan of martial arts movies, comic books, and Elvis. Alabama (Patricia Arquette) is a call girl he falls in love with.
Why Are They On The Run? To get Alabama "free," Clarence kills her pimp. Unfortunately for them, he also grabs a suitcase full of drugs, mistakenly believing it's her belongings. When he tries to sell it, the mob, to whom it rightfully belongs, comes looking for them.
How Does It All Go Down? Clarence and Alabama take a road trip to Los Angeles from Detroit, where he starts making arrangements to peddle the stuff. Meanwhile, one of the mobsters locates Alabama and savagely beats her. A sting operation is set up to trap Clarence, leading to a massive gunfight that leaves him injured and pretty much everyone else except Alabama dead. Badly bleeding, he takes the money that was intended to buy the drugs, then escapes to Mexico with his true love.
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- 76 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros.
The Outlaws: Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) are good old-fashioned bank robbers. They're also hot and heavy as a couple.
Why Are They On The Run? They attract the attention of law enforcement once their petty robberies evolve into full-fledged bank hold-ups. They start making off with large sums of cash, causing the police to make finding them a top priority.
How Does It All Go Down? Joined by Clyde's brother and his wife, the couple is pursued across Texas. Their misdeeds begin to include violence as they grow more elaborate, including Clyde shooting a bank manager in the face. Texas Ranger Frank Ramer leads the charge to find the culprits, eventually setting up a trap to ambush them. Having pushed their luck too far, Bonnie and Clyde go down in a literal hail of bullets.
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The Outlaws: Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas Cage) was once a master car thief. He gave up the life of crime and went straight.
Why Is He On The Run? A British gangster has kidnapped Memphis's brother and intends to eliminate him unless Memphis agrees to steal 50 cars within 72 hours. Police take notice of his thieving activity.
How Does It All Go Down? Memphis puts together a crew to help him pull off this ambitious feat. Each car seems to be fancier and more expensive than the one before. Stealing the autos means evading not only the police, but also the owners, who have a variety of security measures in place. Memphis brings 49 of the cars to the gangster in perfect condition. The 50th is slightly damaged, and the guy refuses to accept it. A scuffle breaks out, during which Memphis kicks the baddie off a ledge. The cop who has been pursuing him is grateful for the help in bringing the gangster down and lets him go free.
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The Outlaws: Holly (Sissy Spacek) is a teenage girl, immature and prone to feeling emotions very intensely. Kit (Martin Sheen) is the older, rule-breaking boyfriend her father disapproves of. He's a Korean War vet, and the trauma of combat may have something to do with his attitude.
Why Are They On The Run? When Holly's father takes measures to keep her from dating this troubled older man, Kit fatally shoots him.
How Does It All Go Down? After burning down the house and going on the lam, Kit kills three bounty hunters who spot them, as well as a former coworker who refuses to harbor them. In an effort to elude police, they steal clothing and a car from a rich man, then make their way toward Saskatchewan. Holly gets tired of being chased and never being able to settle down. She turns herself in, while Kit keeps running. Eventually, he's caught and, we learn at the end, executed for his offenses.
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The Outlaws: Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) is a lawyer. Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) works at Costco. They're on a first date after being matched on Tinder.
Why Are They On The Run? On the drive home, a cop pulls Slim over and racially profiles him. It gets ugly from there, with Slim shooting the cop in self-defense.
How Does It All Go Down? Queen thinks he should go to the authorities and explain what happened, but Slim is skeptical enough to think it won't matter. They hatch a plan to drive to Florida, where they hide out in the home of her uncle. As the police search intensifies, word of the situation makes the news, and the couple become folk heroes. Many in the African-American community, in particular, believe their story and support their profession of innocence. Ultimately, they decide the only way to avoid being persecuted is to hop a plane to Cuba. Just as they're getting ready to board a private aircraft, police swarm the airstrip. A cop with an itchy trigger finger shoots Queen. Slim picks her body up and is gunned down, as well.
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- 113 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
The Outlaws: Lou-Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Clovis Poplin (William Atherton) are a married couple who have had their baby taken from them, thanks to poor parenting and the fact that they're small-time crooks.
Why Are They On The Run? Lou-Jean breaks Clovis out of jail with the intention of swiping their child from the foster home in which he has been placed. They additionally take a highway patrolman hostage.
How Does It All Go Down? While racing across Texas, the patrolman comes to have a surprising respect for the couple. He empathizes with their desperation. They like him, too, and not just because having him along for the ride makes it easy to obtain gas, food, and other necessities without being immediately spotted. Their luck runs out when they arrive at the foster home. The police are waiting for them. Clovis is shot and killed, while Lou-Jean is hauled in and sent to jail for 15 months.
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The Outlaw: Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a con artist of the highest order. He can convince anybody of anything, thanks to his quick mind and irresistible charm.
Why Is He On The Run? He poses as a Pan Am pilot, talking his way into the cockpit despite not knowing how to fly a plane. This allows him to falsify and cash Pan Am checks.
How Does It All Go Down? FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) is assigned to bring Abagnale in. That's difficult, considering how slippery he is. He soon poses as a doctor and finds himself running the overnight shift at a hospital. Later, he poses as a lawyer. Hanratty frantically attempts to follow leads about what he's doing at any given time. The cat-and-mouse game ends in France, where Hanratty is finally able to nab him. He extricates Abagnale back to the United States, and the con artist is sentenced to 12 years in jail. In an ironic twist, the Fed recruits his one-time nemesis to help him in a bank fraud case he's investigating.
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- 131 VOTESPhoto: 20th Century Fox
The Outlaws: Larry (Peter Fonda) and Deke (Adam Roarke) have dreams of becoming NASCAR racers. Mary (Susan George) had a one-night stand with Larry.
Why Are They On The Run? To get the cash to start making their racing aspirations come true, the men hold a grocery store manager's family hostage, only freeing them if he agrees to pay $150,000. Kidnapping and extortion are, of course, illegal.
How Does It All Go Down? The trio piles into a Chevy Impala and attempts to outrun a sheriff who's hot on their heels. Figuring the trees will provide cover, they hide deep in a walnut grove. Cops go in after them, leading to lots of exciting chase sequences. Amazingly, they're able to avoid being caught. Karma catches up with the group, though, when they accidentally slam their car into a freight train, presumably ending them all.
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- 142 VOTESPhoto: Lionsgate
The Outlaws: Eli Solinski (Myles Truitt) is a Detroit teenager who has found a high-tech alien weapon. His older brother Jimmy (Jack Raynor) is an ex-con.
Why Are They On The Run? In a crime that goes horribly awry, Jimmy kills a man and makes off with a ton of money. Needing protection, he calls on Eli for help. The crime lord whose brother Jimmy offed comes looking for him, vowing to retaliate against Eli as revenge.
How Does It All Go Down? While on the lam, the guys pick up an exotic dancer following a melee in the club where she works. The crime lord's men chase them all the way to Nevada, where they hole up in a hotel room. The goons, meanwhile, do away with everyone in a local police station in an effort to find Jimmy. Eli uses the weapon to knock off the crime lord's men, after which it's revealed that he's actually from another planet and was sent to Earth for protection during a war. It is agreed that he will remain on this planet and continue posing as Jimmy's adopted brother. Using a time-bending ability, the crime lord is taken out by his own bullet, but Jimmy is captured by the cops nonetheless. Kin ends with the suggestion that his time will be reduced if he cooperates with authorities.
- 152 VOTESPhoto: 20th Century Fox
The Outlaws: Jack Hammond (Charlie Sheen) is an escaped convict, sent to jail for a crime he didn't commit. Natalie Voss (Kristy Swanson) is the heiress whose car he steals as a getaway vehicle. She doesn't mind being taken hostage, and quickly develops feelings for Jack.
Why Are They On The Run? He's a con on the run and a kidnapper, so the cops are obviously looking for him. Her rich, controlling father is also on the hunt, seeking to retrieve his daughter from a man he falsely believes is a criminal.
How Does It All Go Down? Some of the cops chasing them have a reality TV crew documenting their job. Jack and Natalie consequently end up becoming the subject of fascination by both the media and the viewing public. While on the run, they try to evade not only the police, but also the reporters doggedly chasing them. Jack and Natalie act upon their attraction to each other, getting it on while driving. Once at the Mexican border, they are greeted by law enforcement. Jack, not wanting to ruin Natalie's life, makes her go with her father, while he surrenders to police. She responds by holding a news reporter at gunpoint and stealing a helicopter so that she and Jack can run off together. They safely make it into Mexico, foiling everyone.
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The Outlaws: Otis Samuel (Tyrese Gibson), AKA O2, got out of prison and decided to stay on the straight-and-narrow for the benefit of his young son.
Why Are They On The Run? After someone steals his Chevy Impala with the boy in the backseat, O2 does what's necessary to get him back. That entails carrying out some bank robberies in order to earn the $100,000 he needs to pay the ransom.
How Does It All Go Down? O2 gets some help from a low-level crook named Coco (Meagan Good), and together they end up sparking a gang war with their robberies. After getting enough to pay the ransom, they meet with "Big Meat," the guy who has O2's son. A gunfight breaks out after it's revealed that he never intended to let the boy live. O2 kills him and gets his son back. With his kid safely in tow, he heads for the Mexican border, as the cops are relentlessly chasing after him. The pursuit leads to a lake, where there is nowhere left to go. O2 drives his car into the water in order to get away. He, his son, and Coco are then shown walking on a Mexican beach, having successfully eluded the law.
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