One of the most basic action scenes in fiction: one party is trying to get away from another. The variations you can hang on this premise are endless. Chases featuring Cool Cars is practically a trope unto itself, and whole genre of films has cropped up dedicated to it. Bonus funny points if it's accompanied by Benny Hill music. Tends to happen if a writer is trying to do a procedural of some kind.

See also Distraction Tropes, Escape Tropes, Motor Vehicle Tropes, Fight Scene.

Common elements:

• 1-Dimensional Thinking: A character(s) being "chased" by an inanimate object doesn't think to just step aside.
• Acrophobic Bird: Character who can fly...doesn't.
• Advancing Boss of Doom: A Boss Battle where the boss is constantly chasing you.
• Advancing Wall of Doom: A deadly wall, or a wall of something deadly in general, chases you.
• Aerial Canyon Chase: A chase up in the skies where both parties navigate through very narrow terrain.
• Automated Automobiles: Self-driving cars.
• Baby Carriage: A carriage with a baby inside interrupts a car chase by going in the middle of the road.
• Banana in the Tailpipe: Jamming a car's tailpipe so that it won't start.
• Big Heroic Run: Character runs like hell to do something important; usually to Bring News Back.
• Blind Alley: Running into an alley always works.
• Bringing Running Shoes to a Car Chase: A character chases a vehicle on foot.
• Broken Heel: A person trips while being chased, not necessarily by breaking a heel.
• Car Chase Shoot-Out: A car chase where both parties shoot at each other.
• Car Hood Sliding: Sliding over the hood of a car is faster.
• Chain-Link Fence: Where a chase usually ends. Either the climber escapes, or the climber doesn't get up in time.
• The Chase (when an entire plot is built on this)
• Chased by Angry Natives
• Chase Fight: Two characters fight while being chased.
• Chased Off into the Sunset: A character is chased by something off into the horizon.
• Chase-Scene Obstacle Course: Things that obstruct both parties in a chase scene.
• Chase Stops at Water: Being chased by a wild animal? Get to the water!
• Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are: Pursuer taunts the pursued.
• Convenient Decoy Cat: So Much for Stealth...oh, hey kitty!
• Convenient Escape Boat: Boats are always available for escape.
• Crashing Through the Harem: Character goes somewhere they shouldn't be when being chased.
• Crisis Catch-and-Carry: Picking up a character and running away.
• Crowd Hockey: Dropping something in a crowd and having to get it back.
• Dangerous Clifftop Road: A very short road along a cliff.
• Danger with a Deadline: Keep away from the threat until it isn't.
• Decoy Convoy: Using another convoy to distract from a Vulnerable Convoy.
• Dodge by Braking: Stop and let your pursuer go past you.
• Down L.A. Drain: The Los Angeles drainage system is commonly used in chase scenes.
• Dramatic Chase Opening
• Dramatic Slip: Broken Heel, except you trip over nothing.
• Drives Like Crazy: A character who drives like a maniac. Typically your go-to guy or gal in a car chase.
• Elevator Escape
• Elevator Snare: In a chase, whoever took the stairs arrives first and ambushes whoever took the elevator.
• Emergency Cargo Dump: Dropping items that are slowing you down.
• Escalating Chase: More and more people get involved in a chase.
• Everyone Chasing You: The above, taken to its logical extreme.
• Excuse Me, Coming Through!: Get out of the way!
• Exit, Pursued by a Bear: A story ends with a (usually villainous) character being attacked by a large, hungry animal.
• Flashed-Badge Hijack: Carjacking is okay if you're part of law enforcement.
• Fluorescent Footprints: Character uses superior vision to spot footsteps.
• Follow That Car: Getting in a taxi and telling them to follow someone.
• Fruit Cart: If a destructible display is present in a chase, it will be destroyed.
• Getaway Driver: The person who drives away when a crime is being committed.
• Give Chase with Angry Natives: Character tries to use angry natives to slow their pursuer down, with varying results.
• Gone Behind the Bend: Characters are running around in circles until one stops and waits for them to notice.
• Hall of Mirrors: Character ends up in a maze filled with mirrors.
• Hammerspace Police Force: That's a lot of police officers.
• Handcar Pursuit: Using a handcar to make a getaway.
• Helicopter Blender: Chased by an aircraft while in a helicopter? Use the blades to smack them good.
• Hero Stole My Bike: Flashed-Badge Hijack, except the thief has no authority.
• He Went That Way: No, he didn't.
• High-Speed Hijack: Hijacking a vehicle in motion.
• Hood Hopping: Leaping across car hoods in a chase.
• Hot Pursuit: A huge police chase. Often overlaps with Hammerspace Police Force.
• Improvised Zipline: Using a string of some sort as a zipline.
• Incredibly Obvious Tail: Someone is extremely unsubtle when trying to pursue someone else.
• Instant Convertible: What kind of car needs a roof to stay functioning? Not this one.
• Just Keep Driving: Don't stop driving for anything.
• Kick Your Shoes Off and Run
• Kitchen Chase
• Leaving a Trail: A character being chased may leave behind a trail, making it easier to chase them down.
• Lemming Cops: Cops will follow their target no matter what, even at their own expense.
• Lost in a Crowd: Hiding amongst identical strangers.
• Low Clearance: Duck! Or you'll lose your head!
• Low-Speed Chase: A chase scene that is comically slow.
• Magic Brakes: Brakes become jammed while driving.
• Mobstacle Course: Excuse Me, Coming Through!, except the crowd isn't cooperative.
• My Car Hates Me: When you need your car to start right now, it won't.
• No Escape but Down: Character reaches a cliff or other place where the only escape is to jump down.
• Off Bridge, onto Vehicle: Jumping off a bridge to land on a vehicle.
• Oil Slick: Leaving a line of oil behind to make the pursuer lose control.
• Pedal-to-the-Metal Shot: Stomping the gas pedal as hard as possible. Vroom-vroom!
• Pop the Tires: Stopping a car by hitting the tire with a projectile or sharp object.
• The Precarious Ledge: Character has to navigate along a ledge to escape.
• Pursued Protagonist
• Pushed at the Monster: "I don't need to outrun the bear. I need to outrun you. Nice knowin' ya!"
• Racing the Train: A train is coming. Hurry up and beat it!
• Ram by Braking: Pursuer tailgating you? Braking really fast will stop that.
• Ramp Jump
• Ramp-rovisation: Using something that's not a ramp, as a ramp.
• Removable Steering Wheel
• Road Block: Police block the road with their cars.
• Road Runner vs. Coyote: A chase scene that's completely natural, and often the whole plot.
• Road-Sign Reversal: Changing a sign to mislead pursuers.
• Roofhopping: Jumping from roof to roof to escape.
• Rope Bridge: If you have to cross one, it will be rickety.
• Scooby-Dooby Doors: A hallway with lots of doors leads to a chaotic scene where characters enter and exit doors at random.
• Searching the Stalls: A character hides in a bathroom stall.
• Sheet of Glass: An easy way to stop a chase. Usually unintentional.
• Slippery Skid: Dropping something for the pursuer(s) to slip on.
• Slo-Mo Big Air: A car jumping over a gap must always be in slow-motion.
• Stairs Are Faster: Don't take the elevator; the stairs will be quicker!
• Stairwell Chase
• Suicidal "Gotcha!": Character seemingly jumps off a cliff, only to come back up.
• They Have the Scent!: Dogs can sense where an escapee has gone.
• Thundering Herd: Everyone's chasing you, leaving behind a cloud of dust:
• Toyota Tripwire: Character crashes into an open car door.
• Train Escape: Racing the Train successfully.
• Try and Follow: Escaping a pursuit by doing something the pursuer won't do.
• Twisted Ankle: A leg injury renders a character unable to run.
• Unconventional Vehicle Chase: Not the transport I want, but it's the Closest Thing We Got.
• Under the Truck: Someone on a motorcycle slides under a truck.
• Vehicular Sabotage: Tampering with a vehicle so it won't start.
• Wasn't That Fun?: No, it wasn't!
• Woodland Chase Scene: A chase taking place in the woods.
• Wronski Feint: Dodging an obstacle to make your pursuer run into it.