Movies - Gone in 60 Seconds

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	Movies - Gone in 60 Seconds

Gone in 60 Seconds is a 1974 independent film written and directed by H.B 'Toby' Halicki. It centers on a group of car thieves and the 48 cars they must steal in a matter of days. The film is infamous for having wrecked and destroyed 93 cars in a 40 minute car chase scene. It was later remade in 2000 as Gone in Sixty Seconds.

Plot summary

Insurance investigator Maindrian Pace, played by H.B 'Toby' Halicki, and his team lead double-lives as car thieves. A South American drug lord pays Pace to steal 48 cars for him, and all but one - a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 - are successfully stolen by Maindrian and his associates.

Pace prepares to steal the Mustang, codenamed Eleanor, in Long Beach, but is unaware that his boss (Jerry Daugirda) has alerted to the police to the potential theft as a result of a business dispute. The dispute involved Pace's team stealing a car that was packed with heroin. Without telling his boss Pace took the car to the desert and set it on fire instead of selling it. A pair of detectives (Butch Stockton and Phil Woods) are waiting for him and, as he attempts to steal the car, they give chase. The ensuing pursuit is the longest car chase (40 minutes) in any movie and takes Pace through five cities as he attempts to escape.

Every section of this sequence was filmed on live city streets or freeways, often containing real pedestrians running from Pace's car. In a notable scene, Eleanor is seen to be involved in an accident as a result of misjudging the freeway and colliding with a lamp post. This scene was, in fact, a real accident, as Halicki misjudged both the lane and speed of a car travelling behind. He was injured in the crash, but the scene was left in and Eleanor is seen leaving the site of the accident as the chase continues. The jump scene contained at the end of the chase is also notable and set the standards for a number of subsequently produced pictures. Acting as the climax to the lengthy chase sequence, Eleanor is seen to jump over the scene of another accident after debris from a seperate car allows it to catch air. The jump manages to achieve 30 feet of distance - a feat which would not be easily replicable without the use of modern CGI techniques - and the Mustang barely manages to land safely as it meets the ground in a rather awkward fashion, injuring Halicki once again.

Shortly after this jump, the chase, which occupies most of the screen time, is ended by Pace as he spots another yellow Mustang pulling into a car wash. He asks for his car to be washed and then dupes the owner of the undamaged Mustang into a fictitious meeting with the garage's manager before stealing her car and switching the plates. Pace subsequently leaves the garage with the stolen car as the owner of the car wash (who matches the description of Pace, who was wearing a grey wig and a grey jacket during the chase) is arrested and Pace drives off into the sunset.

Production

Gone in 60 Seconds was classified as an independently filmed movie - H.B. Halicki wrote, starred, directed, produced and even did his own stuntwork in the film, which, at the time, was phenomenal. In a contemporary context, however, the portions of the film preceding the chase sequences are seen as typical of a badly acted - and poorly received - 70s movie. The reason for this view is that Halicki employeed family and friends to play parts in his movie to maintain a low budget, and thusly the acting is somewhat substandard when compared to other films of the time. Often, the characters depicted as being members of the emergency services were real; in particular, the police officers and the Mayor, Sak Yamamoto, of the City of Carson.

Releases

Following its release, a home video VHS was released containing the theatrical version, complete with original soundtrack and effects. It has, however, been out of print since around 1986, and is therefore considered a collectors item.

In 2000, a 25th anniversary remastered edition was released on DVD and VHS to American viewers. This special remastered edition contained a completely reworked image, with a newly cleaned up print compared to the grainy, dirty and unsatisfactory previous version. It also contained another significant change to the soundtrack, replacing the original with a slightly generic overlay rather than the more country style of music chosen by Halicki for the original theatrical release. This has been the center of debate for many fans, who have objected to this alteration and, in some cases, feel almost cheated. The sound effects were also reworked for the remastered version, using more typical collision and engine sounds. This is an improvement over the theatrical release, which contained often-distorted sound effects (although these were the actual sounds used at the time of filming). In May 2005 a Region 2 DVD was released in Europe.

The Cast And Crew Of Gone In 60 Seconds

H.B 'Toby' Halicki .... Maindrian Pace/Vicinski/Mr. Villis
Marion Busia .... Pumpkin Chase
Jerry Daugirda .... Eugene Chase
James McIntyre .... Stanley Chase
George Cole
.... Atlee Jackson
Ronald Halicki .... Corlis Pace/The Crane Operator
Markos Kotsikos .... Uncle Joe Chase
John Halicki .... Sgt. Hawkins
Butch Stockton .... 1-Baker-11 detective (driver)
Phil Woods .... 1-Baker-11 detective (passenger)
J.C. Agajanian Jr. .... Himself/The Light Blue Unmarked Detective
Parnelli Jones .... Himself
Sak Yamamoto .... Himself (City of Carson mayor)
Edward Abrahms .... Harold Blight Smith
Christopher J.C. Agajanian .... Himself
Gary Bettenhausen .... Himself
Edward Booker .... Lowrider
Wally Burr .... Male police dispatcher
Anthony Cole .... Lowrider
Mark Cole .... Lowrider
Michael Cole .... Lowrider
Billy Englehart .... Lowrider
Jonathan E. Fricke .... Himself (KFOX interviewer)
Edward Havens .... Kid in park
Hal McClain .... Himself (KFOX host)
Don Simmons .... Lowrider
Ron Simmons .... Lowrider
Jack Vacek .... WK90 officer (voice)/Cal In The Flying Fox
Bud Wacen .... Himself
Christine Wright .... Himself/The Lady At The Rosecrans Car Wash
Phil Boroff .... Policeman
Chip Giannettino .... Policeman
Garland Brown .... Policeman
Terence H. Winkless .... Lyle Waggoner's Car Cleaner
Maureen Coddington .... Pantera Girl/Hungary Tiger Girl/Jill/The Car Wash Girl
Kelly Busia .... Real Estate Interview Girl

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Movies - Gone in 60 Seconds

Plot summary

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The Cast And Crew Of Gone In 60 Seconds

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