Starring:
Nicolas Cage as Randall “Memphis”Raines
Angelia Jolie as Sara “Sway” Wayland
Giovanni Ribisi as Kip Raines
Robert Duvall as Otto Halliwell
Delroy Lindo as Detective Roland Castlebeck
Chi McBride as Donny Astricky
Special Features:
“Zero To 60” From Script To Screen Featurette
“Wild Rides” Car Stunts Featurette
“The Big Chase” Behind-The-Scenes Of The Thrilling Chase
“Stars On The Move” Character-Driven Featurette
“Action Overload” Spectacular Adrenaline-Pumping Scenes Music Video Style
“Conversations With Jerry Bruckheimer”
Theatrical Trailer
The Cult Music Video “Painted On My Heart”
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound
French Language
French and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 127 Minutes
Synopsis:
This film was originally released in 2000.
When a young car thief botches a “boost” (where a large order of cars are to be stolen), his older brother must come and help him out. If they don’t steal 50 cars within 72 hours, then Kip is going to be killed by his shady bosses. Kip’s older brother is Memphis Raines and is a legendary, and now retired, car thief. Memphis rounds up his old buddies and they attempt to steal all of the cars required. Complicating matters are the cops, other car thieves, and a dog (you’ll have to see it).
Gone in 60 Seconds Director’s Cut is not rated, but the original version was rated PG-13.
The Movie:
This is the “unrated, new extended version” of Gone in 60 Seconds. However, I have to admit that I haven’t seen this movie since it was originally released in 2000 and I have no idea what scenes were new and which ones were old. A couple of scenes between Nicolas Cage and Giovanni Ribisi discussing their family looked new, but otherwise I can’t say for sure what was added. That being said, I found the film to be a fun popcorn flick. Rather than a deep or complicated plot, it’s just a bunch of cool cars, fast chases, and narrow escapes.
What makes this movie is the incredible cast. Pretty much every character in the film is interesting or funny and has a shining moment. If you like Nicolas Cage, then you’ll like him in this film. He’s his typical self here. Giovanni Ribisi does a great job as the younger brother who’s at a crossroads in his life. Does he take the road to the life of crime or go straight? Delroy Lindo does an incredible job as the Detective chasing after our anti-heroes. You almost hope he catches them a few times. Chi McBride was hilarious as one of Memphis’ old buddies. He’s got a great scene as we see him at his legitimate job as a driving instructor with a nervous student. It could have been a cliché scene, but it leaves the audience really laughing. Finally, a big hit with everyone was The Sphinx played by European soccer (or should I say football) star Vinnie Jones. This guy is like a cross between Lurch and the Terminator. He’s brutal, he’s silent, and he’s a guy you want watching your back. He stole nearly every scene he was in.
The action was pretty exciting in the film though not as prevalent as you would think. There were frequent quiet moments where we learn more about the characters. There’s a great foot chase between Memphis, Kip, and a gang. The final car chase at the end of the film was a blast and had the audience cheering. It wasn’t better than the best car chase of all time (in Blues Brothers), but it does a good job.
I should also mention that I think the soundtrack by Paul Linford and Trevor Rabin was well done and perfectly set the mood for the film.
Angelia Jolie is heavily advertised as being in this film. (After all, she’s an Oscar winner.) But she’s not in it as much as you would expect. She did a great job and I would have liked to have seen her more in it. Make no mistake about it, though, this is a Nicolas Cage film.
As for the car chase, it was good but there were a couple of things that could have been better. There’s a big car jump in it. Rather than thrill us with a great shot of a car doing this stunt, we’re treated to like 6 different shots of the car making the jump all pieced together. The car probably could have never made the jump in reality, but it would have been cool to just sit back and watch it go for it in one continuous shot. Then again, I’m not an action director.
Overall this was a great guy move that is funny and packed with action. I would recommend it.
The Extras:
There are a few new bonus features included on this DVD:
“Zero To 60” From Script To Screen Featurette This is your standard “making of” video discussing how they wrote the script, cast the film, and eventually shot it. Oddly there’s very little talk of the original Gone in 60 Seconds. Instead there’s a lot of behind the scenes footage, interviews with cast and crew, etc.
“Wild Rides” Car Stunts Featurette This short video shows how the cast were trained to be stunt drivers for the film. They also show how Nicolas Cage did many of his own driving stunts.
“The Big Chase” Behind-The-Scenes Of The Thrilling Chase This featurette breaks down the final chase into its three main sequences and shows how they were all accomplished. They detail how the flying tank was a combination of CG animation and a real tank. They show how the police car was knocked through a concrete wall. They show how they jumped the car on the bridge and more.
“Stars On The Move” Character-Driven Featurette Each character from the film is highlighted in a series of 1 3 minute long videos. They interview the cast members, show behind the scenes clips, and more. It’s a very in-depth look at all the characters, no matter how minor they are.
“Action Overload” Spectacular Adrenaline-Pumping Scenes Music Video Style This is probably the weakest feature on the DVD. It’s just a series of action clips from the film set to music. If you’ve seen the movie, it’s completely pointless to view this.
“Conversations With Jerry Bruckheimer” This was included on the previous edition of Gone in 60 Seconds. On it, Bruckheimer talks about how he became a producer, what he looks for in directors, how they shot some of his more famous films, etc.
The Cult Music Video “Painted On My Heart” This video was also featured on the previous DVD. It shows the band playing the song amid clips from the movie.
The Bottom Line:
Cars, Cops, Crooks, Chases, and Crashes – this is what a popcorn flick is all about! Gone in 60 Seconds is worth checking out if you’re an action movie fan or a fan of Nicolas Cage.
