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Gone in 60 Seconds wasn?t exactly welcomed with open arms when it was released early last year. Critics slammed the film for the lack of cars, dire storyline and general lack of "exitement". However, would a film based on the popular 1974 classic ever have lived up to the expectations of the critics? I think not?
| | Nic Cage meets Dolly Parton |
The Movie
The film focuses on Randall Raines (Nic Cage), a retired car thief, who now spends his free time teaching young children to drive go carts in a quiet northern town in America. His criminal exploits had put his family in danger in the past, and at his mothers request, and for the benefit of his younger brother, Randall had been asked to move away and not to come back. As far as he knew, everything had been going well for his family following his departure? until he received a visit from an old friend?
Despite Randall's departure, his younger brother (Giovanni Ribisi) still went on to become a car thief, and its not long before he finds himself in some deep trouble following a "boost" gone wrong. The film follows Randalls return to crime in order to pay off the criminal responsible for his brothers downfall, played by Christopher Eccleston.
I really did enjoy this movie. If you want to find weaknesses in the plot, or characters, you will indeed find them, however, if you take this film for what it is (a popcorn movie) then your likely to have a good fun ride, that practically all of the family will enjoy. As always, Nic Cage puts in a solid performance playing Randall Raines. Despite the fact that theres not that much depth to the story, he still manages to portray a convincing character, and his reluctance to return to the criminal underworld is quite apparent from the start. "Gone in 60 Seconds" also has a pretty impressive supporting cast. Firstly you have Angelina Jolie, who unfortunately isn't used much throughout the film, it would appear that they added her just to attract the male audience?..though that isn't a problem in my books!! Backing up Jolie, is perhaps one of my favourite actors, Robert Duvall. No matter what part he plays, he always portrays an extremely convincing character, he has an incredible natural style and luckily enough, this film gives him a fair bit of screen time. English readers will no doubt also be interested to find out that Vinnie Jones also makes his second movie appearance in "Gone in 60 Seconds", despite his name not being mentioned in the credits on the box. Vinnie is of course, following up from his first role in "Lock Stock, and 2 Smoking Barrels"
| | "Last one to the end of the road has to watch The Avengers!" |
As I mentioned at the start of the review, many critics slammed the film for the lack of cars. That in many ways is true, theres only 2 true car chases in the entire film, one of which only lasts a couple of minutes. However, the quality of the chases is pretty good, though you cant compare them to the quality of the main car chase in "Ronin" for example. Many of the sequences are extremely far fetched, especially the ridiculously large car jump at towards the end of the picture. It really is pretty laughable, though I wont hold that against the rest of the movie.
My mum really enjoyed this film, which is saying something. She appreciates films with a happy ending, and a nice moral, which this film luckily delivers. The story revolves around brotherly love, and I think its portrayed well, without getting too sentimental. I first saw the film in the cinema, following a recommendation by my sister, and I?m definitely glad that I saw it. I have since watched in about 5 times more with my friends, so it must have had some kind of effect on me!
Video
The picture quality for this anamorphic release is once again on par with all the current releases. I noticed no picture breakup during the film, and no obvious print damage or blemishes were visible. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and the picture and colours are noticeably sharp and crisp. The menu's on this DVD are particularly impressive, some of the best that I have seen, very fancy, however they can get a little annoying after the initial few uses.
| | Vinnie Jones regrets Saturdays Chicken Balti.... |
Sound
The sound, provided by the Dolby 5.1 track is top notch. You can feel the power of the cars as they pull 360's and 180's on the open road. Theres plenty of bass throughout the film, and it is especially noticeable during the intro music provided by Moby.
Extras
I was quite surprised by the amount of extras to be found on this disc, and the quality of them is of a pretty high standard too. First of all you get a variety of documentaries into the making of the film, particularly the car chase sequences. All of these are very interesting, and show in a reasonable amount of detail how the effects are acheieved in step by step sequences. Also on the disc is a music video by "The Cult�, which although I'm not a fan of their music, is certainly a nice addition to the DVD. On top of that you get an interview with Jerry Bruckheimer, who talks about some of his latest films, including "Gone in 60 Seconds" and also contains a brief look at Pearl Harbour. Finally you have the theatrical trailer for "Gone in 60 Seconds" and rounding it all up is a music video style presentation of all the action set pieces throughout the film.
Overall
Overall, this is a surprisingly good package, for a surprisingly good film. If you are a fan of Nic Cage, or a fan of fast cars, then this movie is for you. If your looking for a serious movie, this wont be your cup of tea, however if your looking for a fun movie to pass the time for a couple of hours, then this is certainly the film for you.
Reviewed by Tom Woodward |
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| Movie |
Video |
Audio |
Extras |
Overall |
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Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13 |
| Region: 1 |
| Run Time: 118 minutes |
| Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 |
| Anamorphic: Yes |
| Color: Yes |
| RCE Protection: No |
| Video Signal: NTSC |
| Number of Discs: 1 |
Disc Type:
Single side, dual layer |
Soundtrack:
English (Dolby 5.1) French(Dolby 5.1) Spanish (Dolby 5.1) |
Subtitles:
English, Spanish |
Extra Features:
Behind the Scenes Featurettes, Highlight Reel, Interview with Jerry Bruckheimer, 'The Cult' Music Video, Theatrical Trailer |
| Easter Egg: No |
Director:
Dominic Sena |
Starring:
Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Givanni Ribisi, Delroy Lindo, Robert Duvall, Will Patton, Vinnie Jones |
Related Movies:
n/a |
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