We’ve got an observation. Today, action films seem to be focused on getting a Ph.D. in style. We’ve got dramatic slow motion, spectacular explosions, and a visual approach that’s as slick as a catchy one-liner—not that I’m complaining, but I do miss the old action movies.
Even as recently as about two decades ago, action sequences took a different approach. The visuals were gritty, heroes got scruffy and dirty, and the camera shook so it felt like we were being shoved right into the field. You may not see every bit of the action explicitly, but your heart would beat as fast as the background score.
One such exemplary action sequence is the truck chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Indiana Jones pursued the Nazis as they tried to flee to Cairo with the Ark.
In this article, let’s go behind the scenes of the truck chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark, an action sequence that is a cinematic milestone.
Story
Raiders of the Lost Ark follows Indiana Jones as he tries to get his hands on the legendary Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise. It was released in 1981 and marks a turning point in Harrison Ford’s career. The movie is famously nicknamed “the love child” of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, you should.
Sidebar, but if you have watched The Big Bang Theory, don’t take Amy seriously when she claims that Indy is irrelevant to the movie’s outcome. She may be a neurobiologist, but she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
The Truck Chase
The truck chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most satisfying and magnificent action sequences in film history. It’s not about blood, gore, or fancy weapons. It’s a truck chase that’s all about resilience.
Indy has located the Ark, but before he can secure it, the Nazis load the artifact onto a truck and set out for Cairo. So Indy grabs a horse, chasing down the truck and a bunch of armed Nazis. Thus begins an eight-and-a-half-minute-long chase sequence.
Early on in the chase, Indy easily catches up to the truck and manages to overthrow the Nazi soldiers to take control. However, the Nazis are not ready to give up easily, which visibly irritates Indy, but then we see him break into a smile every time he’s able to outdo them.
Things take an ugly turn for Indy when a Nazi soldier (stuntman Sergio Mioni) catches up to him and manages to throw him out of the truck, through the front windshield.
Indy is quick to grab onto the Mercedes logo ornament on the truck’s hood as he dangles from the moving truck. But how long can that flimsy décor hold his weight? He’s about to fall off and get crushed under the tires when he grabs onto the truck’s grill, which also begins to give way, only faster.
Meanwhile, the Nazi soldier who’s manning the wheel begins racing the truck, determined to ram into the vehicle in front of it, ensuring that Indy is smashed.
Indy does the unthinkable—he begins to make his way to the rear of the truck from underneath the truck. Soon, he has managed to latch himself onto the truck with his whip, and before long, he’s inside the truck, making his way to the driver from the rear.
This time, Indy manages to push the soldier out through the front windshield, only he’s no Indy, and so he falls off and is promptly run over.
Once the soldier is out, Indy quickly brings the chase to a conclusion by ramming his truck against the last remaining vehicle of the Nazis, which throws them off the route. By the time they catch up, Indy has disappeared with the artifact.
Behind the Scenes of the Truck Chase
The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)Source: Paramount Pictures
Per J.W. Rinzler and his book, The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, the truck chase is Spielberg and stuntman Terry Leonard’s homage to Yakima Canutt, the pioneer of such action sequences, only he did it with horses and a stagecoach.
Let’s begin with the hero vehicle, the truck.
Most vehicles, even trucks like the one in question, do not have enough ground clearance for a full-grown man to slither underneath them without touching the ground. So, the truck had to be modified.
But what you may not know is that the modification wasn’t enough. To ensure that Ford’s body double could cross safely, a trench was dug into the road to ensure adequate ground clearance.
Stuntman Terry Leonard, who was known for his recreation of Canutt stunts for The Legend of the Lone Ranger before this, was Ford’s body double for the sequences underneath the truck and behind the truck (per Flip the Movie Script). Stunt coordinator Glenn Randall, Jr., drove the truck.
The trick was to use telephoto lenses combined with low-angle compositions, which gives the illusion of speed even when the truck is moving at a controlled speed of 20-25 miles per hour.
The truck chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark is the result of meticulous planning, a clear vision, and diligent rehearsals. Also, when the best creative minds come together, can you expect anything less than a masterpiece?
How many times have you watched Raiders of the Lost Ark? Let us know which is your favorite Indiana Jones movie.
