Review: Gone in 60 Seconds

Is it possible to steal 50 top-end cars in one night?

Well when you’re Nicholas Cage, anything’s possible.

2000’s Gone in 60 Seconds, starring Cage (The Rock, National Treasure) as Randal “Memphis” Raines, at one time, Los Angeles’ greatest car thief, now retired. Raines is brought out of retirement, after his kid brother, Kip, played by Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar, Boiler Room) after botching a job for crime boss, Raymond Calitri, played by Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra).

Raines has now four days to steal the cars that Kip was supposed to steal initially, and with Detective Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo, Sahara, Ransom) and his partner Detective Drycoff (Timothy Olyphant, The Girl Next Door, The Crazies) breathing down his neck, Memphis is under pressure to get these cars delivered on time, without getting caught.

Assembling members of his old crew, including Sway (Angelina Jolie, Wanted, Tomb Raider), Otto (Robert Duval, Secondhand Lions, Deep Impact) and Donny (Chi McBride, TV’s The Human Target, The Terminal) Raines decides to take it to the streets and boost all 50 cars needed in one night.

The film is a re-imagining of the 1974 film of the same name, made by Buffalo’s own H.B. Halicki, who was “The Car Crash King” in cinema of the 1970s

Produced by action juggernaut, Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock, Con-Air) Gone in 60 Seconds features a lot of fast action, and cool special effects, with very little back story, but enough for you to get emotionally connected to the characters, a very similar trait to most of the Bruckheimer library.

Nicholas Cage is [to put it simply] Nicholas Cage in the film. He has a formula for most of the movies that he is in, and in this case, it’s no exception. He does what works for him, and you either like him or you don’t.

The Supporting cast is put together nicely, all of the characters are not terribly annoying or over the top. They all have their individualism, but at the same time, not one of them really outshines the other.

Angelina Jolie is gorgeous in the movie, going with blonde dreadlocks for her character. A look that has yet to be redone with her, so it is one of the films where she really doesn’t look like her typical self, which is nice. Far too often she seems to have her characters looks blend together too much.

I loved the cars in the film; they really should be getting co-star credits in the film. That truly is what makes the movie what it is, especially Eleanor, silver 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT 500. That car is a classic, and was just awesome to watch being driven. The really beat the crap out of that car!

One of the downfalls of the film, is that Christopher Eccleston is not in the film nearly enough. As one of the antagonists of the film, you would think that he would have been in it a lot more, however, he seems to have a much smaller part than I would have liked. But then, to me, anything with Christopher Eccleston in it, he needs to be in it more [See: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra].

Altogether, it is a worthwhile action/adventure film; there are some downfalls in it. Primarily the script is a little weak, but the film delivers exactly what it says/shows. It’s a must see for any car aficionado, or anyone who is in the mood for a good action film. You don’t need to do a lot of thinking while watching it, and for some that is the mark of a good film.

For me, it is a good film, and I give Gone in 60 Seconds 6 out of 10.