La grande casse

I've only seen trailers for the Summer 2000 release of GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS. But the trailers show a big budget, MTV style editing, and big stars. What it didn't show was that this thriller about a master car thief is a remake of this 1974 no-budgeter by auto man Halicki. The 1974 GI60S's charm is that it is very low budget. Some scenes, such as the auto auction in the run down lot, or the Radio DJ's cramped little studio add to some crisp atmosphere. However, the first half of GI60S is rather amateurish (One entire scene is terribly out of focus) and we have trouble following Halicki's unprofessionally written plot. The second half of the film is a car chase that has to be seen to be believed! In 40 minutes, close to 90 cars are destroyed in a massive auto chase spanning several cities, freeways, parks, lots, you just name it. For all it's sloppiness, the original 1974 version of GI60S has a neat charm.