Gone in 60 Seconds (2005, DVD)

I had heard that this movie was terrible. I had heard it was thin on plot and long on cliches. Even with all that, when a friend of mine said he wanted to rent it I said "OK". What I was really thinking, however, was "You need to join epinions".

I'm not going to give away more plot than I have to, so read on knowing I won't spoil the movie for you.

The basic idea:
The story's star, Nicholas Cage, plays Memphis Raines. Memphis is a retired car thief who has moved completely away from his old life. When he gets word that his younger brother has blown a robbery and will be killed for the mistake if Memphis doesn't save him he comes back to town.

Near the beginning we hear Memphis' mother, whom he promised he never steal a car again, tell Memphis to do what he must to save his brother Kip.

The plot shapes up like this: Memphis must steal 50 cars (not just any 50, these are all specific makes and models) in 72 hours to save his brother from death. If he succeeds not only does his brother live, he gets 200,000. Wow!

The plot:
The basic idea of the movie follows Memphis as he prepares for the heist. He recruits members of his old "team" to help him to the job. He scouts the cars while dodging a team of police detectives that constantly follow him. As if the police weren't enough, he's also pursued and shot at by a rival car thief ring (led by rapper Master P) until he manages to shake them.

As the actual thefts take place this movie begins to feel alot like the old TV show The A-Team. Electronics, quick thinking, and amazing driving are all employed to make the heists work.

The acting:
Somehow this cast, comprised of mainly two dimensional or cliched characters, manages to carry this movie over the rough spots. The interactions between the characters are pretty smooth and could have you feeling emotionally involved with these "people" pretty quick.

As I said, the characters don't really change in the movie but it is implied that they have changed from some point in time before. The concept has been done before but it still works in this flick. I'm not sure these actors could have pulled off deep characters anyway. Not a knock on them but I've never heard of many of them before.

The dialogue:
This is one of the weaker points in the movie. Some of it seems stilted and the cliches are much thicker here. Every movie has a catch phrase and this one's isn't that hot. As Memphis explains to Kip why he used to steal cars he exclaims "It was never about the money. I did it for the cars". Sure, he explains what that really means to him but it just doesn't strike me as powerful stuff.

The chase scenes:
You know a movie about car theft involves chase scenes. The movie doesn't center around them (only 3 or 4 in the whole movie) but the ones in it are good. I saw some things I wouldn't have expected and certainly hadn't ever seen before. Innovation and good production made ever chase scene worth watching.

Do you have to be a car guy?
No, even if you aren't into cars you should like this. There are some car details used to define the characters love of the machines but it's not so much that you will be left scratching your head and rolling your eyes.

The actual thefts, while nifty, don't require much car knowledge to understand. They are pretty straight forward and clear.

Family Friendly?
I can only think of two or three scenes in this movie that weren't appropriate for all audiences. Profanity was avoided in most instances and the overall tone wasn't one of vulgarity.

Overall:
I see it like this: Suspend your disbelief for a moment and watch this. It is a fast paced, exciting journey into a world that isn't often portrayed this well in movies. Enjoy it for what it is and I'm sure you'll agree that it is well done.