Dom Robinson reviews
Gone in 60 Seconds
Distributed by
Buena Vista International
- Cert:
- Running time: 118 minutes
- Year: 2000
- Released: 4th August 2000
- Widescreen Ratio : 2.35:1
- Rating: 5/10
Director:
(Gone in 60 Seconds, Kalifornia, Swordfish)
Producers:
Jerry Bruckheimer and Mike Stenson
Screenplay:
Music :
Cast :
Randall "Memphis" Raines: Nicolas Cage
Sara "Sway" Wayland: Angelina Jolie
Kip Raines: Giovanni Ribisi
Atley Jackson: Will Patton
Detective Roland Castlebeck: Delroy Lindo
Detective Drycoff: Timothy Olyphant
Donny Astricky: Chi McBride
Otto Halliwell: Robert Duvall
Raymond Calitri: Christopher Eccleston
The Sphinx: Vinnie Jones
Gone in 60 Seconds
is technically a remake of the 1974 film, with the intention of giving it the high-octane
action treatment usually delivered by Jerry Bruckheimer. I say usually, because
it's the first film I've seen from him that disappoints.
As it typical for a film like this, everyone has a stupid name for their character.
It kicks off in high gear as Kip Raines (Giovanni Ribisi) attempts to copy his
six-years-retired-car-thief elder brother and steal a fast car for the bad guys
without getting caught. Alas, he screws it up and chief bad guy Raymond
Calitri (Cracker's Christopher Eccleston) is one man you don't
want to annoy.
It's Monday and he calls Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas Cage)
back to Southern California for a task that will last until 8am on Friday
morning to deliver 50 high-performance cars since Kip ruined his operation.
Planning such a deal takes time to prepare - which they haven't got, so most
of the thefts will have to take place on the last night.
Oooooh, Angelina, I'll 'sway' with you any time...
Aided by Atley Jackson (Will Patton) throughout, Memphis recruits the sultry
Sara "Sway" Wayland (Angelina Jolie) - who also becomes the token love interest
later on, Donny Astricky (Chi McBride), old friend Otto Halliwell (Robert Duvall)
and a mute known only as The Sphinx (alleged soccer-hardman Vinnie Jones),
not to mention a few others, mainly friends of his brother Kip.
This is the part - for a Jerry Bruckheimer film review - where I tell you about the endless
one-liners, action stunt scenes and wall-to-wall big helpings of mega-cool visuals with
explosions on top. Erm.. well, I'd like to, but sadly none of that really happens until the
last 40 minutes.
Take the first 45 minutes - it started off well, with the opening "car boost" (stealing one
of the aforementioned automobiles) and the usual minimum amount of chat to explain the
plot. However, then it went on with talky set-pieces for the next 20-30 minutes which just
served to annoy, including a pointless conversation between Memphis and his mother Helen
(Grace Zabriskie) about what a good boy Kip used to be until he'd had all his
"sweetness" taken out by getting in with the wrong crowd (who cares? That happens in
council estates every day).
Then we reach the final 24 hour stint and expect the movie to stop crawling in first gear
and shoot into top. With one car stolen after another, usually done in pairs, it all seems
too easy: they break in, start it up and drive it away, with hardly ever anyone around to
challenge it. The two main cops Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo) and Drycoff (Timothy
Olyphant) seem to spend most of their time keeping their eye on just one of the 50
cars, so who else is out and about on their tail?
The aforementioned excellent final 40 minutes includes Vinnie Jones stealing a jeep
containing a snake and disposing of the 'Keystone' cops who get in his way, Nicolas
Cage taking the final car which he nicknames Eleanor and the final fight
scene between him and Eccleston who, being the lying get that he is, wants to have
his cake and eat it by keeping the cars, yet still disposing of the Raines clan.
"Ok, so it's my film, my name above the title
and you'll all do as I say, or I'll set Robert on you, okay?"
One other disappointment is that, while it contains a large amount of different
characters as per earlier works by Bruckheimer, such as
Con Air
and
