Gone in 60 Seconds

If you've seen the remake of Gone In 60 Seconds (not a bad movie either) then you must see this outstanding original. Unfortunately, a movie nowadays could never be done like this. H.B. "Toby" Halicki had a dream and he certainly accomplished it here. He must have had more connections than the Gotti Family. It's good to have connections. You take care of people and they take care of you. Toby certainly took care of people and was given the freedom to make this high octane movie the way he wanted to. He had a magnificent collection of cars, among many other items, and used them all in this movie. He bought cars simply to destroy in the movie. He did his own amazing stunt driving, produced, directed, and everything in this movie. Though no one was a professional actor everyone performed well. This isn't an oscar-winning movie, but it's certainly amazing to see what had to be done to make this movie happen. I think this movie is slowly starting to become a cult classic. I can find it in any store nowadays, along with his other few great movies. If you're a fan of the car chase, you'll love this movie for the realism of the impressive 40 minute car chase at the end of the movie. It is AWESOME! Best thing since Bullitt with Steve McQueen. It's great considering you didn't have the special effects. Enjoy the movie! It's a must see!

This is a very interesting film - but you must understand that this is a low low low budget film. The acting is just plain horrendous and the camera work is amateurish at best. But if you can hang in there for the final "steal", you are treated to one of the better car chase scenes ever made. The final chase scene lasts 40 minutes and crashes over 90 cars. That is truly epic - to devote that much screen time to a car chase is insane. For the most part, the chase itself stays pretty cohesive.

But that chase scene and some of the old cars to see make it worth your while.

I saw Gone In Sixty Seconds in 1974 at this broken down theater in West Memphis, Arkansas when I was 10 years old. From that point on I have been a car chase/motorcycle/Evel Knievel stunt fanatic. The fact that H.B. Haliki was a high school dropout who made his millions in the auto junk business is reason enough to admire the man behind this drive-in classic. With his knowledge of the biz, he made the most hair raising car chase flick ever while teaching himself filmaking 101 at the same time! He was the Jackie Chan of the seventies. A one man demolition squad who teamed up with family and friends and made this movie on a shoestring budget that made over 40 million worldwide during its release. His efforts alone should inspire not only filmakers but anyone who has been putting his or her dreams off for one reason or another. Do like Toby Haliki,Do some research, find a way, stick to it and "CHASE" your dreams.

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.

This was the seminal movie that raised publics awareness about automobile security. Back then nobody knew actually fast a car can be heisted. Gone in 60 seconds said it all in its title and people became aware how vulnerable their prized possessions were. Now because of this, we have an entire industry dedicated to protecting automobiles.

Looking at this movie is shocking in a way because it shows how "raw" the society was back then. I really love the movie because I can see the nostalgic landscape of Los Angeles shown in all their glories. I can catch some of the landmarks that exists even today. The "cars" are lavish for back then. Pantera, Mangusta, Daytona, Rolls, and of course the '73 Mustang. Very cool.

There's something primal about this movie. Maybe because the production is so basic. There's no special effects, or attempt to make the characters pretty. It feels like drinking water right out of the faucet. This rawness makes this movie moving in a way like no other movies I've seen recently.

This is one heck of a movie, and you owe it to yourself to see it at least once.