The Junkman

This truly is one of the best car chase movies I've seen! It is comparable to Bullit, Ronin, Gone in 60 Seconds, etc. It is a classic combination of guns, explosives, & high speed car chases (and crashes!). While it is a lesser-known title than the others in its genre, the movie is action-packed from almost the very beginning through to the end. Additionally, this is the only movie I've seen wherein the main character is chased in a Cadillac Eldorado. Whether intentional or not, I found it somewhat ironic that the three cars involved in the main chase scene in the movie were each one from the Big 3 U.S. auto manufacturers. There's a GM, Ford, & Chrysler vehicle; I guess H. B. Halicki wanted to give equal recognition to each of the Big 3. In my opinion, the only reason it is not a perfect 10 is due to the mediocre acting and the distracting and sometimes annoying sub-plot. However, this still is a must-see for the car chase fanatic!

"Gone in 60 Seconds" mastermind H.B. "Toby" Halicki basically plays himself in this ass kicking tale guaranteed to please car enthusiasts and action movie junkies everywhere. Harlan Hollis is a junkman who's made good with a drive-in car chase classic and who is now set to attend a festival honouring film legend James Dean. However, the trip there proves to be an extremely eventful one as somebody has decided that it would be a very good idea to bump off Harlan. So he has to dodge assassins left, right, and centre while pretty much every vehicle in sight is destroyed in extravagant fashion. When Harlan is thought to be dead, he realizes it's good cover while he hightails it to L.A. to find out the brains behind the operation.

Halicki delivers plenty of good, straightforward, unpretentious nonsense that's very easy to watch. The acting won't win any Oscars but it's just right for this sort of thing. Halicki is reasonably engaging in the lead, receiving fine support from Christopher Stone ("The Howling", "Cujo") as P.R. man Michael Fox, Susan Shaw as newswoman Susan Clark, who does some sleuthing of her own, Lang Jeffries ('Rescue 8') as Arthur, and Dan Grimaldi ("Don't Go in the House") as flustered news producer Larry Bergleman. Cameos include Freddy Cannon and the Belmonts, Lynda Day George ("Pieces") as a reporter, car customizer George Barris, and Hoyt Axton ("Gremlins") as both himself and a character in a film-within-the-film.

The non-stop assortment of eye popping vehicular stunts is simply spectacular. "The Junkman" set a record for over 150 vehicles destroyed in one way or another. Best of all is the memorable gag of jumping a car *over* a plane. Halicki even works the use of the Goodyear Blimp into the proceedings!

This is pulse-pounding visceral entertainment that really hits the spot.

Seven out of 10.

This film took two years to make because Toby Halicki took his time with the carefully executed stunts and numerous car chases featured in this movie. 150 cars were destroyed (an assortment of cars, trucks, planes, boats, etc.) that it was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. This film actually has more of a story than Gone in 60 Seconds did as it's a loose autobiography of Halicki's own life as a junkyard owner turned filmmaker. It's a crying shame that Halicki died during filming of Gone in 60 Seconds 2 on August 20, 1989. Hopefully, someone will dig up much more footage of that lost film.

You may find it worth noting that the soundtrack on the reissued DVD (currently only available in Region 1 format) is different from the original video issue. Presumably for copyright clearance reasons the 'Great American Dream' song at the start has been removed - which is a shame. If you really (and I mean really) like Junkman then find the DVD issue of Deadline Auto Theft / Gone in 60 Seconds II which contains Deadline Auto Theft - a movie made up of stunts filmed for the original Gone in 60 Seconds / Junkman. And the edited stunts rushes footage from the never finished sequel to 'Gone' called 'Gone in 60 Seconds II' - HB Halicki was killed on the set while filming it so only the rushes remain as he did all the stuntwork first before working the plot around it.

Eight years on from the original, GONE IN 60 SECONDS 2: THE JUNKMAN (As it was known pretty much everywhere outside the US) was a vastly bigger budgeted exercise in fender-bending. Whilst boasting a couple of the greatest auto stunts ever filmed, including a car flying OVER a plane, the film does not have the rawness of the original that made it the unique experience in auto-wrecking it was. They even managed to get Lynda Day George and Christopher Stone on to the pay roll!

The "chase" this time sees Halicki being pursued by two hitmen and one slinky and mega-cool hitwoman with designer handguns. Much of the car crashes are obviously deliberate and lack the spontaneity of the '74 flick. However the scene wherein Halicki tosses a live grenade over his head on to the guy behind him that blasts the Chev right over Halicki's Caddy, is the one to watch for. Ive never seen better in any action movie.

Heaps of reminders of the original in terms of posters and even a premiere for GONE IN 60 SECONDS. We are even privileged to see the original "Eleanor"....the crushed and battered yellow Mach 1 from the original movie (that Halicki kept for years as his most prized possession!) It infuriated me that Nicolas Cage was permitted to use that name for his Shelby Mustang in the 2000 remake, of which the less said, the better. It could never be anything but Harlan's!

For those of you who do not know, H B Halicki died doing what he loved best in August 1989, attempting an auto stunt for a sequel to GONE IN 60 SECONDS that was never completed. Doubtless he is in his element somewhere in that great garage in the sky!