Thinking about giving it another go, but still thinking hard!
Thinking about giving it another go, but still thinking hard!
Member since:07.06.2001
Reviews:44
Members who trust:43
Jerry Bruckenheimer's latest offering is a journey away from his usual productions. Set in the late eighteen hundreds, this period drama sedately analyses the approprietness of social etiquette within a middle-class household.
Ok, not really. As with almost all of his other work, Gone In 60 Seconds is described as 'high-octane', 'an action-packed thrill ride' and 'a hot, edgy action hit'. Despite the usual testimonials (which I'm sure must irritate Mr. Bruckenheimer just a little), this accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. It thrills and excites the audience with action so pure and acute that the silence at the end of the film remains until you get your breath back.
Starring Nicholas Cage as 'Memphis' Raines, a retired but legendary car thief (or 'booster'), he is forced to leave behind his law-abiding ways to save his brother, 'Kip' from the unstable and deadly stolen car dealer named 'The Carpenter'. Given a deadline of 72 hours to deliver 50 stolen cars, Memphis must recruit some of his old gang (those not dead or in prison) to assist him in his final heist and claim his reward of two-hundred thousand dollars.
The film itself is not dramatically different from Bruckenheimer's many other movies, right down to the camera angles from inside the car which are almost identical to those in 'Days Of Thunder'. The story isn't worthy of an oscar for best original screenplay, the conclusion is not one of total amazement and the resemblance in feel to the likes of 'Con Air', 'The Rock' and 'Bad boys' can be a little too familiar.
That set aside, Gone In 60 Seconds is a very enjoyable film and if you are willing to suspend your disbelief for just under two hours, it reaps rewards in many other ways. The action is an obvious drawing point and will appeal to anyone fond of Hollywood-sized stunts, rolls and crashes. The acting cannot be faulted and includes some great young talent in the form of Giovanni Ribisi (you may have seen him as Phoebe's brother in 'Friends') and our very own Vinnie Jones, who does quite enough of a good job looking scary and little else. The plot does twist a fair amount and the speed of the action directly mirrors the speed of the dialogue and character development.
It is a film worth purchasing for no other reason than to enjoy a good adrenaline rush when you need a little more than Bridget Jones.
The DVD itself is excellent in it's sound and picture quality. However, it is the extras that pleasantly surprise. Packed with goodies, the menu screen is reflective enough of the films content, but wait, there is more. There are five informative and enjoyable featurettes (why they can't just make one documentary is still a mystery to me), cast bio's, a music video, an insightful interview with Mr. Bruckenheimer himself and the obligatory trailers.
This is well worth the money for the total contents of the disc (which also includes a production notes booklet) and acts as a worthy adversary to other releases of the genre. The main reason for purchasin this DVD would be for enjoyable escapism, in which it truly surpasses itself, just don't take it too seriously.
I would like to see Jerry Bruckenheimer produce a period drama, though.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1995 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Allie Byrne, Oliver Cotton, Emily Mortimer, Michael Cochrane
Production Year: 1996 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Daragh O'Malley, Oliver Cotton, Jason Durr, Sean Bean, Allie Byrne
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
I totally agree - a great opinion on a cracking film! I have this on DVD and apart from Charlie's Angels I have not seen so many extra features on a DVD before (but maybe thats coz I dont have much of a collection yet!!)
bwanamdevu 11.08.2001 11:20
Excellent opinion.I must try and get this film out on video.Paul
M.T.J 26.06.2001 00:16
You are writing some absolutely superb opinions right from the very start of you ciaoing - most people will write a few duff ones before they reallt get into it - well done!
The Assignment: To steal 48 muscle and exotic cars.The Challenge: avoid getting ... more
caught!When the cops catch up with master car thief Maindrian Pace, he has no choice but to rock them through a full-throttle chase, wrecking five cities making his escape....
![Gone In 60 Seconds [DVD] [1974]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78497805.jpg "Gone In 60 Seconds [DVD] [1974]")
very helpful by (100%):
