Gone
in 60 Seconds (1974)
HIS BUSINESS IS STEALING
CARS...when he goes to work, the excitement starts---and GOES---and
GOES---and GOES!
Director - H.B.Halicki
Writer - H.B.Halicki
Starring
- H.B.Halicki, Marion Busia, Jerry Daugirda, James McIntyre,
George Cole, Ronald Halicki, Markos Kotsikos, Butch Stockton,
Phil Woods,
Review by Noel Baily
As
the tag-line said: "If he wants it, its gone in 60 seconds!",
Hey
guys, if you want to REALLY enjoy this flick, watch the horrific
remake first. You had to be young in the mid 70's to remember
the hype that went with this flick. A total B-Grader that
had audiences (including me and my 19 year old wife) queued
up around the block.
Considering
its microscopic budget, H B Halicki delivered precisely what
audiences wanted to see - truck loads of cars smashed up!
No more no less! No-one handed over their (then) $5 expecting
to see Sir Laurence Olivier do Hamlet, they just wanted some
serious fender-bending and this they got!
Admittedly
I suspect most people who own the video or DVD these days
fast-forward to the actual 40 minute chase each time they
load it up. I am actually watching it as I compose this critique!
(Right at the sequence at the end where Harley pulls off the
big swapperoo at the car wash!) Absolute stand-outs are the
incredible smash on the freeway when Halicki takes out the
power pole at 80 mph plus and the unimproved-upon final scene
as the Mach-1 leaps several cars at the intersection. That
shot, lovingly photographed from multiple slow-motion camera
angles was worth the ticket price alone. The climactic scene
in the 2000 version is just plain wimpy!
The
plotline for the film is remarkably simple. Man steals cars
for a living! For trivia fans who may NOT know. H. B. Halicki
died during a stunt filming the sequel GONE IN 60 SECONDS
: THE JUNKMAN which features arguably the greatest car stunt
of all time. (Sorry, not telling!!)
|
