Movies where someone hangs onto the hood of a driving car?

January 9, 2009 2:21 PM

MythbustersMovieStuntFilter: Movies where someone is hanging onto the hood (or roof) of a car, while the driver tries to shake them off.

We've got Terminator, DeathProof, and Better off Dead, any others are greatly appreciated. (Guess which one of us gets to do this?)
Extra points for where I might look for that scene in the film.

posted by asavage to travel & transportation (39 answers total)

Just about any episode of T.J. Hooker?
posted by Dr-Baa at 2:26 PM on January 9, 2009

The best scene like this in the entire history of film is:

The In-Laws. The original one with Alan Arkin and Peter Falk.
posted by The World Famous at 2:27 PM on January 9, 2009

And in Death Proof, the driver is not trying to shake them off.

But also:

Raiders of the Lost Ark
posted by The World Famous at 2:31 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Spiderman? Maybe in the middle of the first movie, when he's first learning about his powers.

Hitch, at the end. Will Smith Leaps onto the Mini Cooper, the love interest stops suddenly, he goes flying.

True Romance (sort of). Richie is auditioning for a role in T.J. Hooker 2000. "There he is. Get him. Shoot him." and of course, "I'm drivin'. I'm drivin'."
posted by Ghidorah at 2:41 PM on January 9, 2009

Doesnt this happen in like every other action film? The list would be endless.

Personal fave though:

Bill Paxton (as a half crushed, crazed vampire) hanging on to the front of a semi ripping out pieces of the engine in Near Dark. Scene's near the end of the flick, perhaps 10-15 min before the credits. Don't skip to that point - watch the film.
posted by elendil71 at 2:43 PM on January 9, 2009

Two pop to mind right away:
1) Mr & Mrs Smith with Brad and Angelina
2) I think the first Police Academy had a scene like that at the beginning
posted by Jupiter Jones at 2:46 PM on January 9, 2009

Ooh, Indiana Jones definately had scenes like this. One of them with a tank!
posted by Jupiter Jones at 2:47 PM on January 9, 2009

Die Hard 4.0 (Live Free or Die Hard): early in the film (one of the bad guys hanging on Bruce Willis' car - both the hood and the roof), one scene in the middle of the film (inside and outside a car that eventually hangs in an elevator shaft), and near the end (Bruce Willis hanging on the roof of a truck, and a bit later, hanging on to the tail fin of a fighter jet).
posted by iviken at 2:50 PM on January 9, 2009

As a historical context, Ben Hur gets hurled over the top of his chariot and barely hangs on to the front before he climbs back in. One of the great stunts of all times, IMHO.
posted by jasper411 at 2:55 PM on January 9, 2009

Rat Race. I do not, however, recommend that you avoid skipping to that point.

I think there is an analogous stunt in Ben Hur, but involving hanging onto a chariot. Would be cool to intersperse!
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 2:55 PM on January 9, 2009

Ok, I'll try and condense any more into this one last post:

- The Matrix Reloaded has a scene like this is the highway chase
- the Kate Beckinsale movie Underworld has one
- License to Kill has a scene with James Bond on a large tanker truck
posted by Jupiter Jones at 2:56 PM on January 9, 2009

The Naked Gun.
posted by tkolar at 3:02 PM on January 9, 2009

I'm pretty sure there's such a scene in the first half of the newest Indiana Jones movie. I don't have the DVD right now on hand to check, but here's a partial description:

She [Cate Blanchett aka 'Irina Spalko'] is about to stab Ravenwood but she is suddenly thrown onto the car's hood after Marion slams the brakes. Spalko holds onto a gun that was on the duck's hood and she frantically begins to shoot at the windscreen. Mutt meanwhile winds up getting tangled in some vines and is lifted onto a canopy away from Indy's car.

After regaining control of herself, Irina climbs further onto the hood and takes aim straight at Marion, who thinks fast and manages to throw the Soviet Doctor onto another car.

posted by CKmtl at 3:03 PM on January 9, 2009

Jackie Chan hangs on to the outside of a moving bus
posted by Comrade_robot at 3:03 PM on January 9, 2009

The Rocker. Just under six and a half minutes in.
posted by pinkbuttonanus at 3:04 PM on January 9, 2009

Above the Law
posted by fellion at 3:37 PM on January 9, 2009

At least one, and probably several, of the Mad Max movies have extended scenes involving people hanging off of cars in various ways. I can think of one scene in particular that finishes off the hood-rider with an explosive head-on crash, too, for added fun and excitement.
posted by Forktine at 3:43 PM on January 9, 2009

And, doesn't one of the Transporter movies have this sort of thing, involving large trucks?
posted by Forktine at 3:45 PM on January 9, 2009

Yes, the first Transporter.

But I only give the info provided asavage is doing the holding on part.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 3:47 PM on January 9, 2009

Toxic Avenger and Halloween 4.
posted by brandman at 4:13 PM on January 9, 2009

Leathal Weapon 2, Mel Gibson is on the roof and front grill of the tow truck.
posted by trinity8-director at 4:20 PM on January 9, 2009

Mel Gibson does it in (at least) one of the Lethal Weapons. Lethal Weapon 2 I think it is. While clinging on he yells for the driver's "license and registration". When I was young I thought this was funny and cool, but I rewatched it recently and it's actually pretty dumb.
posted by grammalvsu at 4:23 PM on January 9, 2009

JD was hanging on the roof of the car in the Scrubs episode "My Lunch": http://scrubs.wikia.com/wiki/My_Lunch
posted by dogwelder at 4:47 PM on January 9, 2009

Wouldn't this be a perfect time to insert MacGuyver?

I'm sure there are plenty of times where he's hanging onto the top of the car.

Also, I really like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film version) scene where Paul Reubens (you know, Pee Wee) hangs onto the top of a moving van driven by that hunk from 90210.
posted by santojulieta at 5:11 PM on January 9, 2009

Yup, definitely Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's towards the end - maybe in the last 20 minutes.

Does a hovercraft count? Then Rumble in the Bronx.

A good search term is "car surfing" or "urban surfing" for this as a pasttime - this led me to Rescue 911, Episode 603 with Bill Shatner goodness! It was originally popularized in Teen Wolf, which was more about stunts on the top of the car.

Don't bother looking at Cannonball Run. I scanned through a YouTube version and didn't see any, and that time is now gone from my life for good.
posted by plinth at 6:32 PM on January 9, 2009

Bad Boys 1983 - starring Sean Penn

I'm 94% sure the film opens with, or within the first 10 minutes, Sean Penn on the hood of a car, very frightened driver who owes money. Sean pulls one of the wiper blades, clamps it between his teeth, the driver gives up and pays him.
posted by ezekieldas at 6:55 PM on January 9, 2009

Magnum Force (@1:04 on the trailer).

Gator (@17 seconds into the trailer).
posted by zerobyproxy at 7:03 PM on January 9, 2009

Casino Royale has a scene where Bond is clinging to a speeding swerving fuel truck at an airport. A glimpse of it is at 1:51 in the link, but the scene is pretty long and is towards the front end of the movie.
posted by clearly at 8:15 PM on January 9, 2009

Does the side of a moving vehicle count for your research? If so, "Dark Knight" has Bats hanging onto the side of a moving van, while trying to be thrown off. Bonus points: y'all could do a build segment on the Bat Arm Claws (tm). This is about nine minutes into the movie.
posted by fijiwriter at 8:54 PM on January 9, 2009

Get Smart has Max, Agent 99 and Agent 23 hanging on the roof of a vehicle at about an hour and half into the movie.
posted by onhazier at 9:24 PM on January 9, 2009

gargoyles! (4:15)
posted by vronsky at 9:27 PM on January 9, 2009

Casino Royale has a scene where Bond is clinging to a speeding swerving fuel truck at an airport. A glimpse of it is at 1:51 in the link, but the scene is pretty long and is towards the front end of the movie.

Our friends the Mythbusters should be well acquainted with this sequence, since it was also the inspiration for another experiment ;)

Dirty Harry also does it in his first film.
posted by puritycontrol at 9:55 PM on January 9, 2009

The Fast and the Furious.

Demolition Man.

Starwars Episode 2.
posted by Mitheral at 11:38 PM on January 9, 2009

Yup, definitely Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's towards the end - maybe in the last 20 minutes.

Actually it's about a third of the way in.
posted by tkolar at 12:20 AM on January 10, 2009

Starwars Episode 2.

Unlike the other examples, this takes place amid sky traffic via airspeeder. Interestingly enough, both Grant and Tori (I believe) built models for the movie. Oh, and the OP also...
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:35 AM on January 10, 2009

I have done this IRL, and it's pretty terrifying.

I dove onto the hood of a friend's car outside a nightclub as four dudes were beating the crap out of me. My friend dropped it into gear and peeled out (probably saving me from being stabbed), racing down the street to the front door of the club, where we went in and called the cops.

The only lesson I can impart from my little trip is that if you don't have a firm grasp on the top of the hood (near the windshield wipers), you are guaranteed to slide right off and die. We were speeding down a very narrow city street in Providence lined with parked cars. Every minor swerve of the car wanted to send me rolling off the hood. So my guess is that any movie that has someone on a moving car without a very firm grip on something very solid is a complete myth. Any course correction by the driver would send you flying.
posted by popechunk at 8:15 AM on January 10, 2009

The recent movie Wanted (starring angelina jolie and morgan freeman) had such a scene near the beginning. Actually, that movie is full of great mythbusting material.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 8:30 AM on January 10, 2009

Jackie Brown dumps a mob enforcer that way, and then scoops up her good-for-nothing brother on her hood on the next pass, IIRC.
posted by IAmBroom at 9:50 AM on January 10, 2009

A character in RocknRolla drives two large knives through the car's roof to use as handles. I think it was about 60 minutes into the movie.
posted by the biscuit man at 3:51 PM on January 12, 2009