Anyone who knows movies knows that running is a powerful way to convey emotion on the big screen. Whether a character is heading toward the arms of a true love, avoiding danger, breaking through social barriers, or just escaping a powerful cyborg sent from the future to destroy mankind, you’ll often find running associated with memorable movie scenes. Here are
some of the most overly-dramatic running scenes that Hollywood has ever
produced.
8) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
This scene was
so good they made it into a Disney World show.
7) Terminator 2
This foot chase leads to a car chase in what is one of the greatest chase sequences in any action movie. The only thing that would’ve made this chase better is if it ended with a cheesy Arnold Schwarzenegger quote, like, “You’ve reached the finish line, T-1000!”
6) Tie - Every Horror Movie Ever
Every horror movie has the same scene where a victim (usually an attractive teen girl) runs at full speed, while a monster chases them at a leisurely pace. Somehow, the monster always end up catching the person, despite the vast difference in
speed. It’s like the tortoise and the hare, only in this version the tortoise stabs the hare with a meat hook.
Here’s a classic example from Halloween Resurrection:
Here’s the same concept, with a faster girl and a slower bad guy (from I Know What You Did Last Summer):
5) It’s a Wonderful Life
The part where Jimmy Stewart stops in front of the Bedford Falls sign and screams is one of the funniest scenes ever.
4) The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
In this clip, Eli Wallach sprints through a cemetery, trampling over dead bodies to find millions in buried coins. It’s a symbolic and powerful scene. It’s also a little fruity (check out the way he swings his arms when he runs). This scene leads to a dramatic showdown between Wallach and Clint Eastwood. Try to guess who wins that one.
3) The Graduate
This classic film concludes when Dustin Hoffman crashes Katharine Ross’ wedding. After fighting off angry relatives, he and Ross run off and jump on a bus to begin a brand new life together. However, as the film ends, you’re left with the impression that they’ve made a huge mistake. In 1967, this kind of ambiguous ending was atypical and even a little controversial, as people were used to seeing movies that had happy, perfect endings. It made this scene one of the most memorable in movie history. But seriously, can we talk about the bus? It pulls up right as they get to the curb. What were the odds? Did Hoffman call ahead or was that just the most convenient timing ever? Imagine if that bus was running 5 minutes behind schedule. They would’ve been standing on the curb like a couple of idiots until Ross’ family showed up and things got really awkward.
2) Rocky
We’re all familiar with Rocky’s run through Philadelphia, but what’s often overlooked is how he takes the final set of stairs in only 2 jumps. That’s 8 steps in 2 jumps. Pretty impressive.
1) Forrest Gump
“Run, Forrest, run!” is all you need to say to remind people of one of the greatest movie scenes ever. Or to mock the kid who’s spacing out during middle school basketball practice.
For all the great scenes in this movie, nothing beats the scene of young Forrest destroying his leg braces.
