The Chase

Jack Hammond is a wrongfully convicted man who escapes custody, only to be spotted by police when he stops at a convenience store. Desperate to avoid capture, he grabs a customer, Natalie Voss, and flees in her red BMW. She turns out to be the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and their flight toward the Mexican border turns into a media spectacle, with police units and television crews following every move. A traffic reporter for a local channel keeps the pursuit on the air, while Natalie's father and her boyfriend deal with the fallout. The long drive forces the two fugitives into reluctant company, and what begins as a hostage situation gradually changes.

The film was directed and written by Adam Rifkin and released in March 1994. It was his third feature, following The Invisible Maniac and The Dark Backward, and it arrived before Detroit Rock City and several later films. Charlie Sheen plays Jackson Hammond, with Kristy Swanson as Natalie and Henry Rollins as Officer Dobbs, part of the lead chase car. Rocky Carroll appears as the Channel 8 traffic reporter, Ray Wise as Dalton Voss, and Cary Elwes as Steve Horsegroovy. The production had a budget of 26 million dollars and returned about 8 million worldwide.

Reception was modest. On IMDb the film holds 5.9 out of 10 from roughly 23,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.8 from around 400 votes. A critics' rating of 5 out of 10 from 21 reviews puts professional assessment broadly in line with how audiences have rated it.