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August 12, 2013 8:03 PM Subscribe
What are some good* movies whose central conflict involves Our Hero(es) trying to get from one end of a city (or a cityish-sized thing) to the other in the space of a day or night? Examples would be The Warriors, 16 Blocks, or - if I'm remembering it right - Judgement Night.
La Haine probably also kind of qualifies.
*For a pretty generous value of "good"
La Haine probably also kind of qualifies.
*For a pretty generous value of "good"
Cloverfield? May not fit your definition of good, but I thought bit was fun.
posted by goshling at 8:10 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by goshling at 8:10 PM on August 12, 2013
Dark City, arguably. Certainly it involves a protagonist in constant motion.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:11 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 8:11 PM on August 12, 2013
There's a recent anime called "High School of the Dead" which is like that. (It's about the Zombie Apocalypse.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:12 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:12 PM on August 12, 2013
Oh yeah, also Escape From New York and it's weirder cousin, Escape From Los Angeles
posted by Going To Maine at 8:13 PM on August 12, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 8:13 PM on August 12, 2013 [4 favorites]
I wish you hadn't stipulated that it be good. That knocks Crank right out.
posted by ftm at 8:16 PM on August 12, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by ftm at 8:16 PM on August 12, 2013 [4 favorites]
SWAT
posted by djb at 8:20 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by djb at 8:20 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Die Hard With A Vengeance
Fix (2008)
Collateral (2004)
posted by carsonb at 8:21 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Fix (2008)
Collateral (2004)
posted by carsonb at 8:21 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I haven't seen it for a while, but I think "Children of Men" would qualify. And it is very good.
posted by Leontine at 8:22 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Leontine at 8:22 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I wish you hadn't stipulated that it be good. That knocks Crank right out.
Crank was good right up until it so thoroughly wasn't.
Let's maybe go with "enjoyable" instead?
posted by Mike Smith at 8:22 PM on August 12, 2013
Crank was good right up until it so thoroughly wasn't.
Let's maybe go with "enjoyable" instead?
posted by Mike Smith at 8:22 PM on August 12, 2013
Apocalypto is probably not what you were going for, but that movie is just one big chase, with a bit of human sacrifice thrown in.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:24 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 8:24 PM on August 12, 2013
Dredd, The Raid: Redemption, After Hours
posted by The Mysterious Mr. F at 8:27 PM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by The Mysterious Mr. F at 8:27 PM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Premium Rush, the Joseph Gordon-Levitt bike messenger chase movie.
posted by shortyJBot at 8:28 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by shortyJBot at 8:28 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Adventures in Babysitting!
posted by Sys Rq at 8:30 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Sys Rq at 8:30 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
QUICK CHANGE with Bill Murray and Randy Quaid.
posted by OolooKitty at 8:34 PM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by OolooKitty at 8:34 PM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Maaaaaybe Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, since it's one guy being chased by bounty hunters for most of the film. But that's a bit different.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:43 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 8:43 PM on August 12, 2013
night of the comet (I am not sure if the traveling is just in one 24 hour period or if it stretches over several days, sorry, I haven't seen the film in over 20 years).
posted by saucysault at 8:44 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by saucysault at 8:44 PM on August 12, 2013
Oh yeah, and if by "city", you mean "space jail", then Lockout should be acceptable.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:46 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 8:46 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Unrelated: Escape From LA is basically a parody of Escape From New York, that happens to share a star and a director.
Surprisingly, there's not a TV Trope for this as far as I can tell.
Extremely Short Timespan has some examples, although it's not exactly what you want.
One of them is Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which involves looping back home rather than going from one end of the city to another, but otherwise fits pretty well.
posted by vogon_poet at 8:51 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Surprisingly, there's not a TV Trope for this as far as I can tell.
Extremely Short Timespan has some examples, although it's not exactly what you want.
One of them is Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which involves looping back home rather than going from one end of the city to another, but otherwise fits pretty well.
posted by vogon_poet at 8:51 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
"Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind's only hope for survival."
Probably the upcoming The World's End.
posted by phaedon at 8:53 PM on August 12, 2013
Probably the upcoming The World's End.
posted by phaedon at 8:53 PM on August 12, 2013
... so Shaun of the Dead should work.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:56 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 8:56 PM on August 12, 2013
Haven't seen it yet, but Adrift in Tokyo seems to fit the bill.
posted by EtTuHealy at 8:56 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by EtTuHealy at 8:56 PM on August 12, 2013
... so Shaun of the Dead should work.
In the sense that it basically looks like the same movie.. yes.
posted by phaedon at 8:58 PM on August 12, 2013
In the sense that it basically looks like the same movie.. yes.
posted by phaedon at 8:58 PM on August 12, 2013
Attack The Block!
posted by Lemmy Caution at 9:00 PM on August 12, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Lemmy Caution at 9:00 PM on August 12, 2013 [4 favorites]
Oo! How about Labyrinth?
posted by phaedon at 9:03 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by phaedon at 9:03 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Seconding "After Hours." I recently rewatched this and was amazed at how well it has aged.
posted by Unified Theory at 9:13 PM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Unified Theory at 9:13 PM on August 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
I think Battle Los Angeles fits the criteria. It was much better than I expected.
I was really happy to see some love for Quick Change in here!
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 9:36 PM on August 12, 2013
I was really happy to see some love for Quick Change in here!
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 9:36 PM on August 12, 2013
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
on review: whoops, one city.
posted by rhizome at 9:44 PM on August 12, 2013
on review: whoops, one city.
posted by rhizome at 9:44 PM on August 12, 2013
Came into Nth AFTER HOURS !!!
posted by jbenben at 12:08 AM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by jbenben at 12:08 AM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Not a city, and definitely bigger (in mileage) but damn if it isn't real good:
Sorcerer, with Roy Scheider, a few years after Jaws.
posted by mbatch at 1:03 AM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Sorcerer, with Roy Scheider, a few years after Jaws.
posted by mbatch at 1:03 AM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Resident Evil
Stretching the concept: Rat Race
TV: there's an episode of Top Gear where they race through Vatican City.
posted by Red Desk at 1:27 AM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Stretching the concept: Rat Race
TV: there's an episode of Top Gear where they race through Vatican City.
posted by Red Desk at 1:27 AM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
If by enjoyable you mean watchable: The Out of Towners, directed by Arthur Hill, written by Neil Simon, with Jack Lemmon (in full-on neurotic mode) and Sandy Dennis (ditto), about a couple chased and chasing through Manhattan. Hilarity doesn't ensue, but chuckles do. (There's an even worse later version with Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin.)
posted by thinkpiece at 4:27 AM on August 13, 2013
posted by thinkpiece at 4:27 AM on August 13, 2013
How about swimming pool by swimming pool?
The Swimmer, with Burt Lancaster. Our protagonist crosses a suburb, one swimming pool at a time. It turns out to be more existentialist than you first think.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 4:50 AM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
The Swimmer, with Burt Lancaster. Our protagonist crosses a suburb, one swimming pool at a time. It turns out to be more existentialist than you first think.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 4:50 AM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Cube. Low budget Canadian horror schlock, but it's on Netflix and people seem to like it.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:55 AM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:55 AM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Haven't seen it yet, but Adrift in Tokyo (転々) seems to fit the bill.
I've seen it, and I came in here to recommend it.
posted by Rash at 9:58 AM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
I've seen it, and I came in here to recommend it.
posted by Rash at 9:58 AM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh! Tokyo Godfathers! Antic in spots, with bits of darkness, but uplifting.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:14 AM on August 13, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 10:14 AM on August 13, 2013
Actually, uh, just remembered that that movie does contain some homeless people getting beat up by street thugs, so maybe not. But it is uplifting!
posted by Going To Maine at 10:16 AM on August 13, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 10:16 AM on August 13, 2013
Also, in what is clearly a wacky mix-up, I meant to post about Tokyo Godfathers in this thread. Oops. While not exactly a chase, Tokyo Godfathers does feature three individuals crossing a major metropolis during a single night, so it does sort of fit the bill for this thread.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:26 AM on August 13, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 10:26 AM on August 13, 2013
Not exactly from one end to the other, but definitely a 24-hour countdown: District B13 (aka Banlieue 13 in the original French). Wow, what a crappy trailer. Oh hey — currently available for watching free on YouTube. (Bonus: includes David "inventor of parkour" Belle and Cyril "l'homme qui tombe" Raffaelli.)
posted by Lexica at 9:00 PM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Lexica at 9:00 PM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by fshgrl at 8:09 PM on August 12, 2013 [9 favorites]