Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Robert Duvall
Director: Dominic Sena
Synopsis: Mindless car heist flick which stalls more than it runs
Reviewed by: Ali Khan

Legendary car thief 'Memphis' Raines is forced out of retirement in order to complete a massive car heist botched by his younger brother. If the heist is not completed, kid brother is marked for death by the evil English villain. Raines reassembles his team of old pros, including an old flame (Jolie) and gets to work. He has 48 hours, a couple of cops breathing down his neck and 50 cars to steal.

Gone in 60 Seconds comes from the producers of such 'classic' blockbusters as Con Air, The Rock and Armageddon. So don't expect your brain cells to be tested too severely. In fact, this film can only be classified as lighter even than popcorn fare! But that isn't the problem.

Mindless action is bearable in small doses but Gone in 60 Seconds sadly splutters and stalls on too many occasions. There are far too many characters and when the film starts to pick up momentum it is not sustained. Instead of concentrating on action, director Sena prefers to break up the film with crass humour and unnecessary smart quips by the lesser characters in the film. The number of characters in the film also means that the main performers are given less scope. Cage, always watchable, and an actor who (when required) over acts with such panache is rarely given the space to display his range.

There are moments of it - for example listening to his favourite song before going out on his mission - but by and large, Cage is relatively subdued. Jolie drips sensuality and the sparks literally fly when she makes her appearance but again there was much greater potential in the Cage-Jolie pairing. The veteran Robert Duvall and British footballer turned actor, Vinnie Jones (as the mute Sphynx) make good cameos but are also badly wasted. Nevertheless, Duvall makes the best of his few scenes and the charismatic Jones shows incendiary screen presence.

Gone in 60 Seconds is not as bad as you may have thought but with a strong cast it had the potential to be much more enjoyable. But if you are a car fanatic or robber, and you want to know whether 'Eleanor' will betray Cage's character again or whether he will be able to find 'Rachel', then this may be the film for you!