Gone in 60 Seconds

with Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi
Directed by Dominic Sena
Written by H.B. Halicki, Scott Rosenberg
(BCI Video)
by John Bikowski

If you’re in the mood for a little old-fashioned redneck throwback film, look no further. You must check out the original Gone in 60 Seconds from 1974. Old school action sequences, some laughable acting, and some serious sideburns are the order of the day. Don’t look for present day Hollywood spit-shine, because this is the gritty masterwork of H.B. Halicki, who did damn near everything for the film. We’re talking directing, stunt driving, production, etc. What transpires struck me as The Beastie Boys “Sabotage” video in high gear. The basic story is that 48 muscle and exotic cars must be stolen. The challenge is to not get caught. One of the cars is a smokin’ Mach 1 named Eleanor. Once Eleanor is grabbed, the cops set off on a historically long and crazy car chase that lasts the rest of the film. BCI Video has put together an amazing collector’s edition full of goodies including over 500 crashes. There are three featurettes: The Junkman (which holds the Guinness World Record for crashes), Deadline Auto Theft, and Gone in 60 Seconds: 2. There’s also a DVD-ROM game and a mail-in certificate to get frames and plates for your car.
(www.gonein60seconds.com)