Favourite Action Scenes #1: The Desert Chase (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

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Out of all the action scenes from the Indiana Jones films, I'd say that my favourite is this one from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

After escaping from the Well of Souls, Indy and Marion destroy the plane the Nazis intend to use to take the Ark of the Covenant back to Berlin, which is also a really good action scene, but this one is even better. The Nazis opt to load the Ark on a truck and fly it out of Cairo, prompting Indy to steal a horse and chase after it.

He is able to catch up to the convoy (you'd assume that he's able to take a faster route which they can't), and eventually jumps aboard the truck, where he fights with the two soldiers in the cab. After wildly veering through a building site, he is able to take control and fend off the escort vehicles. However, there is still a squad of soldiers in the back of the truck, who try and shimmy towards the cab. Indy is able to notice them with the wing mirrors, and swerves to throw them off, but one soldier takes advantage of a tear in the truck's canvas to close the distance, and is able to shoot him in the shoulder before being thrown off.

The leader of the squad is much more resourceful, and climbs across the top of the truck rather than the side. He enters the cab on the driver's side, where he is in a position to attack Indy by punching his wounded arm before throwing him out. Indy nonetheless tries to stay on the truck, holding the hood ornament and the radiator, before using his whip to get under the truck in order to get back in.

Like a lot of these scenes I've talked about, I think the best part of this scene is the music. The John Williams score alternates between tense and triumphant. Having the fight take place on board a moving truck allows for all kinds of possibilities, and they make good use of it. By the end of it, Indy is actually worn out and nursing his wounded shoulder in the next scene. It establishes a human side to him, that his adventures do take their toll on him, which is one of the reasons these films are great.

Anyway, that's about it. I hope you've enjoyed my picks, and I love to hear what action scenes are your favourites.