Burning Tarmac Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Italian Job

Charlie (Michael Caine) and his crew pull off a spectacular gold heist and transport the loot through Turin in Mini Coopers with the police hot on their tail. They race the cars up and down stairs through the old city, run through shopping malls, pelt across rooftops, maneuver their way through a massive traffic jam and finally storm their way through a series of sewer pipes. There's little suspense here because Charlie's crew have this perfectly planned but the charm lies in seeing Mini Coopers go where Mini Coopers shouldn't go and, of course, seeing how they pull it all off. This 1969 romp also starred Noel Coward and Benny Hill. There is a 2003 remake of this film starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Jason Statham.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

Answer: Wanted

The 2008 action thriller "Wanted" is chock full of incredible (by which I mean both amazingly good and impossible to believe) sequences. A secret society of assassins called The Fraternity receives targets identified by the Loom of Fate as would-be creators of evil and chaos. James McAvoy's character Wesley is brought into the fold by a woman named Fox (played by Angelina Jolie). The chase is on when Fox executes a 360 degree spin in her Viper, passenger door flung ajar, thus scooping up a cowering Wesley in spectacular fashion and saving him from certain death. It's a move that really requires the audience to suspend disbelief. Don't ask why McAvoy decided to stop and cower for four long seconds in front of an oncoming truck, and how he managed to do so in the exact position required to fit neatly into the seat of a moving vehicle. This movie has curving bullets for goodness sake! Fox then proceeds to remove the windshield, get out onto the hood of the car, and engage in a gun battle, all while steering with her foot. They finally escape pursuit by flipping over a police barricade and ramping off the side of a bus.

This question was crafted by Phoenix Rising member JCSon.

Answer: The Blues Brothers

This 1980 movie featured John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd driving a black and white police car dubbed the "Bluesmobile" through Chicago on a "mission from God". In the process, they completely trash a suburban shopping mall, drolly commenting on the wide variety of store offerings, and about 100 Chicago police cars. That "mission from God" was to raise $5,000 and get it to the Cook County Assessor's office on time to save the orphanage in which they were raised from closing down.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member pusdoc.

Answer: Drive

Ryan Gosling is an unnamed mechanic and occasional stuntman in "Drive" (2011). He is also a getaway driver for hire proving he can hold his nerve in the heist in the opening scenes trying to evade a police helicopter. He becomes involved with a young Mom (Carey Mulligan) and her son and agrees to be the getaway driver in a heist that will release Ms Mulligan's character's husband from a Mob debt. The car used was a Ford Mustang GT. This was problematic as it had to be a black manual GT. In the end a stick shift GT was found but it wasn't black - it had to be "reskinned". The second issue was it had traction control and was not able to perform the stunts required. Someone discovered if you held down the TC key for six seconds, the traction control was released making the car capable of the stunts you see in the movie.

The Mustang was not the only homage to "Bullitt" (1968) in the movie. Ryan Gosling's character had more than a nod towards Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member 1nn1.

Answer: Smokey and the Bandit

Burt Reynolds (Bandit), Sally Field (Frog) and Jerry Reed (Snowman) take on the Highway Patrol (Smokey) with Snowman driving the truck with the beer, and Bandit in the Trans-Am running interference as 'the blocker'.

Coors Beer was considered to be best beer available in the US at the time (1977) but was not available east of the Mississippi River, hence the need to smuggle it to Atlanta from Texas.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member smpdit.

Answer: The Matrix Reloaded

"The Matrix Reloaded" stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, and Hugo Weaving, and depicts the continuing story of Neo (Reeves) who is 'The One', who seeks to save the Matrix from the tyranny of the machines, headed up by the anthropomorphized Mr Smith (Weaving). The car chase scene involves complex martial art combat choreography, taking place inside and on top of various cars and a truck heading down a busy highway. At one point the character Morpheus destroys an SUV by shooting a few rounds into the gas tank as it flips. However, according to "MythBusters", this should not have ignited the gas tank and blown the car to smithereens. It should have simply put holes in the tank.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member tacobowler.

Answer: Convoy

"Convoy" is a 1978 Sam Peckinpah movie about truckers and their duel with a corrupt Arizona sheriff.

Kris Kristofferson stars as the protagonist, a trucker with the handle Rubber Duck, and Ernest Borgnine plays Sheriff Cottonmouth Wallace, his nemesis. Franklyn Ajaye plays trucker Spider Mike and Burt Young plays trucker Love Machine aka Pig Pen. Ali McGraw plays Melissa, Kristofferson's love interest.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Bullitt

"Bullitt" (1968) contains the definitive chase scene that all other movie car chases are measured by. Frank Bullitt is a cop who drives a 1968 stripped down Ford Mustang GT . He chases the baddies, driving a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T through the streets of San Francisco out towards the smaller town of Brisbane. Two weeks' worth of filming distilled footage down to 9 minutes 42 seconds of pure adrenaline. If you look closely, three cars: a green Volkswagen, yellow cab and white Firebird, reappear several times, the Dodge loses eight hubcaps, and the route, if you map it out, is geographically impossible if set in real time. Nevertheless the scene(s) redefined the car chase scene with its notable absence of a soundtrack which was replaced by the snarl of powerful engines, downshifting and squealing tires. This earned the movie an Academy Award for Best Film Editing and a nomination for Best Sound.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member 1nn1.

Answer: The Bourne Supremacy

"The Bourne Supremacy" was the second film in the "Jason Bourne" film series. Matt Damon played the role of the title character in the film as a former CIA assassin struggling with amnesia and on the run from the CIA who has framed him for crimes he didn't commit. In this film he becomes the target of an assassin who is also part of the Russian Secret Service. Bourne is spotted in Moscow, takes over a cab and proceeds to demolish the city in a desperate attempt to get away. You hold your breath as he deliberately lines up other vehicles and rams into them to either create openings for himself or set up an obstacle for his pursuers.

This question was contributed by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer.

Answer: The French Connection

In "The French Connection" (1971), the villain takes over a subway train in a getaway attempt. Detective Jimmy Doyle, acted by Gene Hackman, chases the subway train in a "borrowed" car along busy New York City streets as the train travels along an elevated track above the roads. One particular car crash in the scene involved a local person who was unaware that filming of the car chase was taking place. The incident was included in the film because of its realism. The makers of the film later footed the bill for repairs to that person's car.

This question was contributed by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.