It seems the big buzz phrase of late is "trust the science," whether it be on climate change or fighting a pandemic. The same apparently goes for car chase flicks, prompting one financial website to determine which pursuit flicks were the most heart-stopping. Would it be Bullitt, featuring that famous San Francisco chase involving that Ford Mustang? Those James Bond flicks with the Aston Martin showing off its deadly toys? Here's what the research uncovered.
Focus Groups With Heart Monitors
First, a little background. After shortlisting a collection of movies with car chases supplied by the likes of Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, Money.uk.com assembled a team of insurance geniuses (because chase scenes and crashes are good for business, presumably) and screened 100 cinematic finalists to a focus group of volunteers wearing heart monitors.
Using 53 beats a minute as a base, the researchers took the results of each screening but didn't average the rates out for the entire length of the movie. Instead, they only took into account how fast the participants' hearts pounded during each chase scene. They then ranked the flicks according to those fluctuations.
Fast & Furious Franchise Dominates
Surprisingly, neither Bond nor Bullitt made it anywhere near the top 10. Instead, topping the list was the apocalyptic high-speed thriller Max Max: Fury Road, followed by Fast and Furious 6 and Furious 7 with Ronin and Baby Driver rounding out the top five.
The 2001 premiere of The Fast and the Furious placed sixth, followed by Quantum of Solace, The Bourne Supremacy, The French Connection and The Dark Knight to complete the top 10.
Mad Max Had The Highest Heart Rates
Mad Max: Fury Road had the heart rates of the focus group spiking as high as 84 beats per minute, a 33 percent jump from the base measurement. By contrast, the Batman outing managed a 19 percent boost with heart pumping at 75 beats per minute.
Source: Money.uk.com