La grande casse

It's amazing what could be done with a tiny budget and no digital effects. I watched this after having seen the trashy remake, and expected a similar degree of dumb wisecracks and hackneyed sub-plots.

I was impressed, however, to discover real talent behind the camera. The plot is simple: a car thief has to steal 40 fancy cars in a very short time. Using a combination of skill, insider knowledge of the insurance business and just sheer brass, the protagonist and his pals start their automotive harvest. Everything seems done and taken care of, when everything goes to hell at the last moment, leading to what surely be the longest car chase put to film.

The best thing about this movie is its low-budget feel. Many of the early scenes are almost mimed, with voices overdubbed later; you don't see actual dialogue, just hear it on top of the action. But as things progress, it begins to show more polish, and by the time we get to the big chase, you get what appears to be the entire 7th Cavalry Division in squad cars chasing one li'l yellow Mustang.

A very smart touch during the big chase was to frequently cut to the aftermath of car crashes, with wounded cops and civilians being dragged from burning cars and hustled away in ambulances -- it added an edge to the film, to show there are actually consequences to these actions (and how often is that shown on the big screen?).

Aside from the marvelously-choreographed action sequences, there are many moments of great wit, which I won't describe so's not to spoil them.

All in all, a brilliant piece of film-making, made not with glitz, glamor, star-power or special effects -- just sheer talent (and pretty cars, o'course!).

A guy who has a normal job works an additional sideline as a car thief and ranks among the best in the business. He and his team are hired to steal a large "order" for a powerful client, but right as the last car is being jacked our hero realizes that the cops have been tipped off and he goes to do what he does best - puts the pedal to the metal.

This movie has really not much to offer you unless you go gaga over car chases. And if you do and can excuse the highly amateurish production and the thin storyline in the first half then be prepared for a fun ride during the spectacular second half. Our hero tears through five cities in a nice 1973 Mustang leaving a slew of wrecked cars in his wake of high speed mayhem. Going on highways, alleyways, fields, and just about everywhere that a car can go, he goes! Terrific breakneck fun. 7/10

Rated PG for metal crunching mayhem

I saw Gone In Sixty Seconds in 1974 at this broken down theater in West Memphis, Arkansas when I was 10 years old. From that point on I have been a car chase/motorcycle/Evel Knievel stunt fanatic. The fact that H.B. Haliki was a high school dropout who made his millions in the auto junk business is reason enough to admire the man behind this drive-in classic. With his knowledge of the biz, he made the most hair raising car chase flick ever while teaching himself filmaking 101 at the same time! He was the Jackie Chan of the seventies. A one man demolition squad who teamed up with family and friends and made this movie on a shoestring budget that made over 40 million worldwide during its release. His efforts alone should inspire not only filmakers but anyone who has been putting his or her dreams off for one reason or another. Do like Toby Haliki,Do some research, find a way, stick to it and "CHASE" your dreams.

The original "Gone In 60 Seconds" will be remembered by many viewers as the best car-chase film of all time. It will also be remembered as the film that featured lots of destroyed cars in a 40 minute chase. As said in the film's IMDb trivia: "93 cars are crashed in this 97 minute movie."

The best part of this whole movie is the 40-minute chase scene. So many cars are crashed and destroyed during the chase, including original city police cars. What's more, the chase scene had absolutely NO special effects, meaning that all the crashes and smashes were real. Furthermore, H.B. Halicki himself wrote, directed, and starred in the movie. He even drove the "star car" (the Mustang) throughout the chase!

My only negative comment about the film is that the beginning of the movie is very slow; so slow that you may be very eager to get to the 40-minute chase scene. However, if you have the DVD, you can just watch the film starting from the chase scene if you want to.

Overall, this movie had an awesome chase scene. It is the best chase scene ever filmed in a movie. It has to be seen to be believed.

P.S: This movie is much much better than the awful remake.

This was the seminal movie that raised publics awareness about automobile security. Back then nobody knew actually fast a car can be heisted. Gone in 60 seconds said it all in its title and people became aware how vulnerable their prized possessions were. Now because of this, we have an entire industry dedicated to protecting automobiles.

Looking at this movie is shocking in a way because it shows how "raw" the society was back then. I really love the movie because I can see the nostalgic landscape of Los Angeles shown in all their glories. I can catch some of the landmarks that exists even today. The "cars" are lavish for back then. Pantera, Mangusta, Daytona, Rolls, and of course the '73 Mustang. Very cool.

There's something primal about this movie. Maybe because the production is so basic. There's no special effects, or attempt to make the characters pretty. It feels like drinking water right out of the faucet. This rawness makes this movie moving in a way like no other movies I've seen recently.

This is one heck of a movie, and you owe it to yourself to see it at least once.