34 Years Ago, This Epic Chase Scene Became a Cinema Icon and Still Thrills!

Action cinema enthusiasts fondly remember sequences that pushed boundaries or became instantly iconic due to their novelty or sheer impact. Films like The Raid or Captain America 2 are known for these timeless moments where cinema perhaps reaches its most spectacular.

James Cameron Set the Bar with This Scene

Among these films, one must certainly mention Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the second installment of the T-800 saga envisioned by James Cameron. Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises one of his most iconic roles and this time, must protect the young John Connor, son of the famed Sarah Connor, from a new, more advanced Terminator sent by Skynet.

About 30 minutes into this sequel, John Connor is being chased by the T-1000 and escapes on his motorcycle. The android steals a truck from a driver and pursues him. Connor manages to take a detour through a sort of concrete channel and distances his adversary, who smashes through a guardrail to follow him down into the channel.

The already intense chase continues in the channel, but the camera rises to show that the T-800 is coming to the rescue. With his shotgun, which he reloads with a cocking motion reminiscent of John Wayne in Stagecoach, he manages to distract the T-1000. However, the music and the scene escalate in tension as the truck nearly overturns several times, putting John at high risk while speeding away.

Schwarzenegger’s character manages to descend into the channel with a majestic motorcycle jump, shoots a tire of the truck, causing it to veer off its course and head straight towards a section of the road it cannot navigate. The collision is severe, and the truck crashes against a concrete barrier, leading to a fuel leak and a massive explosion, propelling the T-800 and John Connor (Edward Furlong) forward on their motorcycle. Naturally, the T-1000 survives. If an explosion couldn’t stop him, what could? The stakes are set. Legendary!

The Scene in Images

What continues to impress about this sequence is the modernity of the visuals and the editing. Although the 1991 film is now viewed in restored 4K Blu-ray, there’s no doubt that an actual truck was blown up, pushed through the barrier, had its roof sliced off by speeding under a low bridge, and the special effects of the explosion have not aged. Simply put: it’s believable.

It’s the strength of this sequence that, 34 years later, has aged less than many films released less than a decade ago. Perhaps the lesson here is that sometimes, you really do need to blow stuff up on screen!