What is the greatest car chase in cinematic history? Watch enough thrillers and you’re bound to have a strong opinion on this one. Maybe you’re fond of the classics, and make the case for The French Connection or Bullitt. Perhaps you live your life one quarter mile at a time and swear by the Fast & Furious films. Or it could be that you find some other onscreen car chase to be cinematic perfection.
According to a new article at Jalopnik, science has figured out a way to quantify the most thrilling car chases ever committed to film. The data was compiled by the financial website Money.co.uk, and relied upon a unique synthesis of the cinematic and the physical.
Money.co.uk’s Salman Haqqi explained the process. The researchers visited different film-related websites in order to compile a list of notable car chases. From there, things took a scientific turn. “Once we had our list, our research team screened some of the best chases ever made to 100 volunteers fitted with heartbeat monitors, to track the effect the on-screen action had on the audience’s heart rates,” Haqqi writes.
Taking the top spot? Mad Max: Fury Road, with Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7 right behind. Rounding out the top 5 were Ronin and Baby Driver.
Both Jalopnik’s article and the original Money.co.uk study have plenty more to ponder, from notable omissions to a meticulous analysis of the Fast & Furious franchise. And if it inspires you to revisit your favorite car chase — or check out a film you haven’t before — that’s all the better.
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