• TESTED OK

• 2000 DATE ON THIS DVD

Academy Award(R)-winners Nicolas Cage (1996 Best Actor, LEAVING LAS VEGAS; ADAPTATION, MATCHSTICK MEN) and sexy Angelina Jolie (1999 Best Supporting Actress, GIRL INTERRUPTED; LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER) ride an unstoppable wave of speed and adrenaline in this hot, egdy action hit from high-octane producer Jerry Bruckheimer (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, PEARL HARBOR). Legendary car booster Randall "Memphis" Raines (Cage) thought he'd left the fast lane behind -- until he's forced out of retirement in a do-or-die effort to save his kid brother (Giovanni Ribisi, LOST IN TRANSLATION, TV's FRIENDS) from the wrath of an evil mobster! But with speed to burn and attitude to spare, Memphis hastily reassembles his old crew -- a rogues' gallery including Academy Award-winner Robert Duvall (1983 Best Actor, TENDER MERCIES; OPEN RANGE) -- and floors it in a full-throttle race to pull off the ulimate car heist: 50 exotic beauties in 24 hours -- and the cops are already on to them! Directed by Dominic Sena and written by Scott Rosenberg, GONE IN 60 SECONDS is an action-packed thrill ride that comes out fast and never slows down.

This movie was blasted by every critic that I saw, however, I think that the critics were overly harsh. Gone in 60 seconds is a high adrenaline, car chase film that requires the viewer to use the same powers of "willing suspension of disbelief" that are necessary for most of Nicolas Cage's action films. Nicolas Cage and a fairly impressive supporting cast (including Robert Duvall, Delroy Lindo, Angelina Jolie) give decent performances despite a script that under used them. Giovanni Ribisi is perfect in the role of Nicolas Cage's over confident younger brother.

Great acting, however, is not what this film is about. This film is about fast cars and lots of action, which it delivers. After a brief introduction to the characters, we get to watch how the thieves stalk the individual cars, a part that I found interesting. After this point, it is pretty much a none stop car chase scene, which was fairly well filmed and has a pretty good soundtrack to keep your adrenaline pumped.

This may not be the most original or deepest film out there but it is another good action film that is worth renting.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Great Action Movie; Period!  Jan 10, 2004 By Barron Laycock "Labradorman"
What can anyone say about a no-holds barred Nick Cage movie with fast cars, faster women, and non-stop pyrotechnics other than the fact that it fairly rocks? While surely not providing any ostensible grist for Academy Award nominations, other than perhaps for best special effects with all the car sequences, and some imaginative chase set-ups and scenes, this is a strictly by-the-numbers action flick, meant to appeal to the young set, and still appeal to old guys like me who enjoy a pleasant evening away from the "sturm und drang' of everyday life.

All that said, I really did enjoy watching the movie, although I had no doubt as to the resolution of the existential dilemma presented to Nick, given the fact he is the most worthy of the anti-heroes in recent memory, a good "bad" guy we root for from the very start. And he does have a special woman, (no, not the sexy Angelina Jolie, although she is sweet indeed) by the way of his special personal vehicle, a super-charge mustang he refers to by name, and seems to have male-female kind of bond with. The supporting cast here is terrific, from Robert Duvall to Will Patton and many, many others, all of whom contribute to a tight, entertaining, and eminently enjoyable ride of a lifetime. Enjoy!

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


"More" Gone In Sixty Seconds!  Jul 09, 2005 By Crazy Jim
In the VHS era, the "extended cut" was generally reserved for Jim Cameron films like "Aliens" and "T2: Judgment Day". They gave movie fans a chance to see elaborate sequences that were often cut due to the overly-long running times of the features. With the introduction of DVD, major studios are cashing in by putting together extended cuts of major blockbusters by throwing in some missing scenes. In some cases, the "unrated" cut is the version that the director intended to be seen but due to the MPAA giving it an "NC-17" rating, the studio is forced to hold off until home video in order to show it in its uncut form. Lately though, "Unrated" is just a new word thrown out to make the new version seem like it's too extreme to be shown in theatres, when it's actually just the same version with scenes included that weren't given a rating by the MPAA.

There is no guiltier pleasure than the Jerry Bruckheimer summer blockbuster. It's where music video directors go to cut their teeth in the movie industry and Oscar winners go to get their payday. 2000's remake of "Gone In 60 Seconds" with Bruckheimer staples Nicolas Cage and Will Patton is the ultimate celebration of all things one should associate with Bruckheimer. It's a big, loud car chase film filled with outrageous stunts, phoned-in performances, cliche characters, bad racial stereotypes, and a whole lot of noise.

"60 Seconds" stars Nicolas Cage as retired car theif, Memphis Raines, who is forced back into the game when a cheesy mobster type (with perhaps the most annoying accent in cinema history) threatens to kill his younger brother if he doesn't steal 50 cars in one night. Along for the ride is Delroy Lindo's veteran police officer who is still stewing over the missed opportunity of arresting Raines in his "heyday". There's plenty of great actors standing around including Robert Duvall, Angelina Jolie, and the afore-mentioned Patton. There's also hardly a racial sterotype that the movie doesn't throw in. You've got the Asian girl who can't drive, the Mexican car-jackers protecting their turf, and T.J. Cross as the "token black guy" who knows he's the token black guy and won't shut up about it. Still despite it all, I'd be lying if I said this movie isn't watchable.

This extended version is released as the "director's cut" so one can assume director Dominic Sena put his stamp of approval on this one. You might think that with a luxury like this, he would have included a few more character moments but in fact, the strongest such moment in the theatrical cut, a sequence with Nicolas Cage and Giovani Risbi has actually been removed and replaced with an alternate scene that is far less powerful. For its "nine minutes of added footage", there are a few subtle differences but nothing worth writing home about. As for its "Unrated" tag, if this cut were submitted to the MPAA, it would more than likely receive the same PG-13 rating as the theatrical version. If you already own this movie on DVD, it's not really worth the upgrade.

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