Review: Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)

Gone in Sixty Seconds, directed by Dominic Sena and starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi and none other than Vinnie Jones is a high octane action film based on the original film released in 1974.

Nicolas Cage plays reformed car thief Memphis Raines (do you think he got to express his love of Elvis by picking this name?) who has been out of the business since going straight several years before. He didn’t like the direction his life was heading in and how people were getting hurt so he left anybody he knew and started a new, more low key life.

His kid brother, Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) tries to pick up where his big brother left off with his own gang of car thieves. However, these guys are young and inexperienced and soon they are biting off more than they can chew. He lands in hot water with local gangster Raymond Calitri (played by a despicable Christopher Eccleston) who he promises he will deliver 50 stolen cars for a high amount of cash. Of course, this was never going to go the easy way.

Memphis is then forced out of retirement to help keep his brother alive and takes on the responsibility of delivering these cars. Using his skills, knowledge and his old crew, the team make it their mission to get all 50 ‘ladies”’boosted and delivered in one night.

The thrills, the spills and the cars make this film one of Cage’s best. The storyline may seem a little farfetched but it doesn’t matter – with Cage in the driving seat, anything is possible. There is also some romance in the form of Memphis and his old flame Sway (a hypnotic and very blonde Angelina Jolie) but what’s great here is that the producers and director don’t make this a bigger part of the story like in some other action films. It’s kept simple and tucked away almost leaving the audience to enjoy what they really want to see – the cars and the action sequences.

After having several car films released in recent years, including the likes of the Fast & Furious franchise, the first being released a year after this film, Gone in Sixty Seconds leads the way with not only it’s humorous script (in a good way), but also the classic and wonderful cars on display. No, pimped up rides for this crew, it’s old school all the way.