The Chase

The Chase is a 1994 American action comedy film directed by Adam Rifkin and starring Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson. Set in California, the film follows a wrongfully convicted man who kidnaps a wealthy heiress and leads police on a lengthy car chase in an attempt to escape prison, while the news media dramatize the chase to absurd extents. It features Henry Rollins, Josh Mostel, and Ray Wise in supporting roles, with cameo appearances by Anthony Kiedis and Flea of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The Chase was conceived as a direct response to Rifkin's 1991 comedy The Dark Backward, which performed extremely poorly at the box office. The film was shot in Houston, Texas and its soundtrack features alternative artists such as Bad Religion, NOFX, and Rollins Band. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it was considered a commercial success. Journalists generally criticized its forced script and subpar characters, but praised the film's use of satire to criticize the television news industry. According to Rollins, the film has attracted a cult following.

Plot
Convict Jack Hammond stops at a gas station in Newport Beach, California, where he encounters two police officers and a young woman. When the officers receive a car radio call that indicates the car Jack is driving is stolen, he panics and kidnaps the woman. Fleeing in her car, Jack learns that his hostage is Natalie Voss, daughter of a millionaire industrialist. Two police officers pursue them in a squad car with a television crew filming a reality show. The car chase moves onto southbound Interstate 5 as Jack decides to flee to Mexico. As the chase intensifies, two bystanders attempt to run Jack off the road in their monster truck, but lose control and roll the truck onto its side, where it is hit by a semi-trailer truck and explodes.

The news media dramatize the car chase, going to such lengths as having a reporter hang out of the side of a van alongside the speeding car. Jack explains to Natalie that, while working as a clown performing at children's birthday parties in Sonoma, he was mistaken for the "red-nosed robber", a criminal who had robbed several banks while wearing a clown costume. A blood test sample improperly collected at one of the crime scenes proved Jack's innocence but its inadmissibility led to his conviction and sentence to 25 years' incarceration. During transfer to prison, he escaped the guards and stole a car, leading to their present situation. Jack's lawyer explains Jack's predicament to the media and tries to convince him to surrender to the police, but Jack believes escape is his only option.

Natalie sympathizes with Jack. She shares with him her hate for her stepmother and that she seeks to escape from her dysfunctional family. As the chase continues, she begins to fall in love with Jack; the two have sex while he drives, and she suggests feigning being his hostage so that they can flee together to Mexico. They reach the San Ysidro Port of Entry and find it heavily blockaded. Jack continues to evade the police but eventually stops, telling Natalie that her life cannot be ruined by him. He releases her reluctantly to her father. After considering going out in a blaze of glory, Jack decides to surrender. As he is being arrested, Natalie takes a television producer hostage at gunpoint and releases Jack. The two steal a news helicopter and escape to Mexico, where they relax on a beach.

Cast

 * Charlie Sheen as Jack Hammond, the film's protagonist
 * Kristy Swanson as Natalie Voss, Jack's hostage
 * Henry Rollins as Officer Dobbs, driver of the lead police car
 * Josh Mostel as Officer Figus, Dobbs' partner
 * Ray Wise as Dalton Voss, Natalie's father
 * Rocky Carroll as traffic reporter Byron Wilder
 * Bree Walker as news anchor Wendy Sorenson
 * Marshall Bell as Ari Josephson, Jack's attorney
 * Claudia Christian as Yvonne Voss, Natalie's stepmother
 * Natalia Nogulich as Frances Voss, Natalie's mother
 * Cary Elwes as news anchor Steve Horsegroovy
 * Flea as Dale, driver of the monster truck
 * Anthony Kiedis as Will, Dale's friend and passenger
 * Cassian Elwes as the producer of the police reality show
 * Ron Jeremy as a cameraman
 * Marco Perella as a police officer
 * John S. Davies as news reporter Corey Steinhoff
 * R. Bruce Elliott as news reporter Frank Smuntz
 * James R. Black as a police officer