MODELLED on the legendary 1974 HB Halicki flick of the same name, the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds is slick and fast-paced, boasts a star-studded cast, and has plenty of very cool cars.

Randall ‘Memphis’ Raines (Cage) is a former high-end car thief brought back into the fold when his younger brother, the greasy and ungrateful Kip (Ribisi), finds himself in deep shit with local gangster Raymond Calitri (Eccleston). Kip’s loose attitude has seen him fail to deliver a shipment of 50 specific cars for one of Calitri’s clients, and it’s now up to Memphis to steal these cars by a strict deadline, or Kip will be killed.

Memphis reassembles his old crew – Donny (McBride), The Sphinx (Jones) and Sway (Jolie) – for the boost, using the resto workshop of Otto (Duvall) as their headquarters. They are joined by the new generation of car thieves: Kip’s mates Tumbler (Caan), the fast-talking Mirror Man (Cross) and tech guru Toby (Scott). The teams combine to mix old-school methods with new-school technology in an attempt to fill their quota.

Hot on their heels is odd-bod police detective Castlebeck (Lindo) and his sidekick Drycoff (Olyphant), both desperate to bring Memphis down.

The crew has 12 hours to steal and deliver the 50 cars – a tall order for sure – but the dark shadow presiding over the success of the job is safely securing one car in particular: a 1967 Shelby Mustang codenamed ‘Eleanor’. It’s the one model that’s proved elusive throughout Memphis’s career. The Eleanor ’Stang becomes the focal point for the film’s climax, with stunts and action aplenty as Memphis wheels his way through Los Angeles to a Long Beach shipyard.

Witty dialogue is almost a prerequisite for a Nicolas Cage film, and his performance is sharp and funny, which nicely balances the action sequences. I’m not really sure if Angelina Jolie’s role as Sway was purposely minimal and added purely for the spunk factor, but she certainly makes greasy overalls look good!

VERDICT: 4/5

GONE in 60 Seconds was a great flick on the big screen back in 2000 and is a sure thing for any home-viewing audience two decades later. The action comes thick and fast, with plenty of eye candy across all car genres, but it’s the grainy photography and attention to detail in the backgrounds and set dressing that really adds a grittiness and authenticity to the film. The ‘Eleanor’ custom Shelby fastback has become something of a screen legend in its own right, inspiring many a two-door midlife crisis re-creation since the film’s release.

Vehicles:

• 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500
• 1997 BMW 540i
• 1959 Cadillac
• 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
• 1978 Chevrolet Camaro
• 1967 Chevrolet Corvette
• 1971 De Tomaso Pantera
• 1976 Ferrari 308 GTB
• 1993 Ford Crown Victoria
• 1950 Mercury custom

Stars:

• Nicolas Cage
• Robert Duvall
• Giovanni Ribisi
• Angelina Jolie
• Christopher Eccleston
• Delroy Lindo
• Timothy Olyphant
• Chi McBride
• Vinnie Jones
• Scott Caan
• Will Patton
• TJ Cross
• William Lee Scott

Director:
Dominic Sena

Action:
Small bursts of driving action are precursors to the jam-packed climactic car chase through Los Angeles

Plot:
A master car thief is forced out of retirement to steal 50 cars in one night in exchange for his brother’s life

Available:
Streaming, DVD, Blu-ray

Cool flick fact:
Seven Eleanor Mustangs were built for the film, five of which were destroyed during the stunt sequences. The remaining two cars were kept by Nicolas Cage and the film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer.