Kick-Ass Motorcycle Scenes in the Movies: The Matrix Reloaded

Speeding into Oncoming Traffic Two Up on a Ducati …

The near 15 minute freeway chase scene in the Matrix Reloaded raised the bar for this type of action sequence. The interaction of characters, vehicles, and camera angles is truly amazing. This is the first film that almost organically captures the action by weaving in, out, and under the traffic.

Much of the sequence involves action in, on, and around cars and SUVs but it truly heats up when the vinyl clad Trinity takes the Keymaker for a head-on ride through oncoming traffic on a black Duacati 996. The blend of live stunts and computer graphics (cgi) is clean and does not create an artificial barrier between the audience and the action, but draws in the viewer.

In addition to the riding and driving the sequence includes the typical highly stylized Matrix martial arts, choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping. The only change I would make to the freeway chase scene is to have Neo arrive on a Harley Davidson Nightster, barreling down the highway at super speeds with guns blazing.

Kick-Ass Motorcycle Scenes in the Movies: Torque

There’s Nothing Wrong with Mindless, Guilty Pleasures …
Torque is damn near the definition of mindless, guilty pleasure for me. This is a movie I take on the road when traveling for business, it’s great for tuning out the world, and noisy kids, on airplanes and it’s great to watch in hotel rooms after spending long hours in meetings.

There is nothing subtle in this movie, it highlights everything that is good and bad about motorcycling and the people that ride. Fast bikes (good), dirty riders (not so bad on weekends), hot women (good), bad bikers on Harleys (cliché), good and bad guys on sportbikes (whatever).

The best scene is during the opening credits when the hero, on an Aprilia, gets going so fast he spins a street sign on it’s axis with enough velocity that it appears to say “cars suck”. That is kicks-ass. Most of the movie is cgi stunts including a ridiculous scene at the end with the 227mph Y2K, helicopter turbine powered motorcycle. While the chase scene is silly the fact that the movie included the Y2K is awesome. Of course the villain is riding an equally fast v-twin but not a Harley Davidson Nightster.

When you just want to kick back and think of a world ruled by the baddest bikes and their riders put on Torque, suspend belief, and enjoy.

Kick-Ass Motorcycle Scenes in the Movies: Deja Vu

While I’m in between motorcycles and riding I thought I’d write about some of the most kick-ass motorcycle scenes in movies. Now “kick-ass” can imply many things, crazy stunts, expert riding, unique machines, etc. At times I may write about kick-ass movies that would have likely been more kick-ass with a motorcycle scene.

The first installment is just such a movie, Deja Vu staring Denzel Washington as an ATF agent investigating an act of domestic terrorism in New Orleans (no, it’s not the Administration’s handling of Katrina). What makes this movie kick-ass is the extreme geeky undertones mixed with explosions and gun play. If you’ve seen the trailer you probably don’t realize how truly geeky this movie is; make no mistake, there’s a fairly reasonable discussion of folding the space-time continuum (a.k.a., time travel). It’s not as accurate or in-depth as the explanation on the tenth dimension but still, it’s pretty kick-ass for a Hollywood movie.

Bad news, there’s not much in the way of motorcycle scenes in Deja Vu – a chase scene with a Harley Davidson Nightster would have made this movie even more kick-ass but even so, it’s worth checking out.