Steel, skates and special effects add to the excitement of on-screen car chases

Nicolas Cage is racing his silver Mercedes through the narrow streets of London when beer kegs suddenly start dropping from the truck in front of him.

But he can't swerve to avoid the exploding kegs. In fact, he can't control anything in the car at all. It's not a nightmare, it's movie magic: Though Cage sits in the driver's seat, the actual driving is being done by a stuntman in a metal rig atop the car for a chase scene in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

It's a classic car-chase tool, said producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who has learned a thing or two about the art of the chase after producing dozens of action films and crime shows.

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