So Fast X saw a huge car chase in Rome as Vin Diesel and co chased a huge rolling bomb around the city as it rolled towards the Vatican and then we get Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One also seeing a big ass hummer vehicle ploughing through the city in pursuit of Tom Cruise and Hayley Attwell handcuffed together trying to make their getaway in a tiny fiat car. So we’re asking why Rome is the centre of summer blockbuster car chases in 2023?
Well both films held their world premieres in Rome as a kind of thank you from both tom Cruise and Vin Diesel for the access granted to their respective productions. It comes down to the Rome Film Commission which is making a huge effort to make the city a go to venue for Hollywood film crews. And what’s making them attractive are huge tax incentives of 40% tax rebates for international film and TV series that started back in 2008 and better than those offered by France, the U.K., Germany, Hungary and Romania. What’s further helping is that the commission has worked hard to cut red tape and bureaucracy and their fames cinecitta studios are undergoing a huge refurb which has seen such films as Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America, Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Coppola’s The Godfather Part III, Terry Gilliam’s ‘The Adventures of Baron Munchausen’ and the classic Ben Hur too. So that’s why Rome is the centre of summer blockbuster car chases.
Cruise himself even delayed the gala premiere when he paid a quick visit to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to express his thanks for allowing them hurl cars down the Spanish steps despite local opposition concerned at damage especially after a Saudi national damaged them when he drove a Maserati down them in 2022 before being arrested at the airport for being an utter dick.
related feature: Stunts gone tragically wrong……..
related feature: Top 5 Car Chases according to the UK’s top stunt drivers! …. essential viewing for car stunt fans
