How 'Venom' Pulled Off that Motorcycle Chase Scene

Venom was a surprise hit this past year. While not being popular with the critics, it took off at the box office, In fact, according to Box Office Mojo, the movie made $855,013,954 worldwide.

The movie contained some really epic CGI and VFX, but one thing that stood out to me was the excellent motorcycle chase scene through the streets. 

In an interview with IGN Spiro Razatos, Venom’s second unit director said, "This is the first time that Eddie finds out he has Venom in him. Obviously, he’s freaking out. He’s got drones that are blowing up all around him, he’s got SUVs that are trying to kill him, and he’s got Venom inside of him. So he’s trying to deal with this while he’s going at 80 miles an hour on a motorcycle through the traffic of San Francisco.”

This is definitely a supercharged moment in the story. The sequence not only has to be great on screen, but it also has to fit the needs of the plot. Eddie's freakout needs to be mirrored by the insane action. 

Behind the scenes, the crew knew they had a lot on their plate. They were filming on the same streets where Steve McQueen did his famous Bullit car chase sequence. Stunt coordinator Jack Gill talked to IGN about being aware of the history and using it to inspire the chase:

“We needed something where it looked like he was gonna skyrocket straight up in the sky," said Gill. "The rest of this is like they did in Bullitt where they go one jump after the other, which is cool for that, but we needed one that was gonna launch you straight up like that, where the motorcycle can just fly straight up and get a lot of height."

Razatos also chimed in on why this chase mattered inside the story: "So we’re trying to tell the story where … Eddie here separates from his motorcycle when he jumps. It’s such a big, steep jump that he actually leaves the motorcycle, and you think he’s gonna die, and Venom actually reaches down, pulls himself back to the motorcycle, saves him, and now ... he’s relying on Venom to save him when he gets in these dangerous positions with the SUVs and the drones that are chasing him." 

While this all makes sense from a story standpoint, they still had to execute it. 

But how? 

In a recent video from Insider, Jack Gill took them through some of the techniques they used behind the scenes to get the chase scene right and how Tom Hardy’s stunt doubles pulled off those jumps. Jack and co-stunt coordinators Andy Gill and Spiro Razatos were responsible for designing the elaborate car and motorbike chase, so you know you're in good hands with him. 

Check it out! 

What's Next? Learn to Write Fight Scenes! 

Much like the way this chase scene from Venom was actually all about character, fight scenes have to not only look cool but must build part of the plot. These are not only set pieces that are exciting, but the best iterations find a way to build character and be a memorable part of the story. 

Did you love this chase scene from Venom?