La grande casse

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!!)

In this day of "so called" independent film making, the majority of

which is backed by big studio money and ruined by the meddling

of "suits", it's so refreshing to see a truly independent film! "Gone

In 60 Seconds" was written, produced, directed and distributed by

the same man, H.B. Halicki, who also stars AND did most of the

stunt driving! This is truly a film the likes of which we will never see

again, thanks to our over-protective, sue-happy, society of wimps

and victims. Several comments are made about the acting in this

film. I would say that for none of the cast being professionals, they

handled themselves very well. And as for this being Halicki's first

film as a director, he must've known a few things and/or had some

great tech people working with him because the film is cut

together so wonderfully. Then too there is the sheer guilty

pleasure of see cars obliterated. I wish I could've seen this on the

big screen. So, if you're looking for a film with a lot of meaning,

skip this one. If you just want to enjoy a well crafted little film, and

see lots of Plymouth police cars get crunched--run out and get

GONE IN 60 SECONDS (but drive safely, please)!

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.

Most movie buffs will be more familar with the remade version starring Nicholas Cage. This movie however is so different and far far away from the remake. The format is the same. Very slow moving for its first segment with lots of jumping around and pointless scenes which have no relation to the plot and a minimum amount of dialogue. The finale of the movie is probably the ultimate in car chase scenes in history. A lenghty car chase with many smash ups on involving police cars. ( these were real members of the public who agreed to appear in the movie, but the cars were specifically bought, 150 in total) is a joy to watch and reminiscent of an episode of TV series "CHIPS".

Worth a look for those who want to make a comparison to the recent movie or those into high automative thrills so to speak. I like it beacuse it was so badly acted, so bad that it becomes enjoyable hokum. The DVD which I rented of this a few months ago while in Canada has behind the scenes footage which is worthy of note. Look out also for Gone in Seconds 2 made in 1982 starring Christopher Stone

If you've seen the remake of Gone In 60 Seconds (not a bad movie either) then you must see this outstanding original. Unfortunately, a movie nowadays could never be done like this. H.B. "Toby" Halicki had a dream and he certainly accomplished it here. He must have had more connections than the Gotti Family. It's good to have connections. You take care of people and they take care of you. Toby certainly took care of people and was given the freedom to make this high octane movie the way he wanted to. He had a magnificent collection of cars, among many other items, and used them all in this movie. He bought cars simply to destroy in the movie. He did his own amazing stunt driving, produced, directed, and everything in this movie. Though no one was a professional actor everyone performed well. This isn't an oscar-winning movie, but it's certainly amazing to see what had to be done to make this movie happen. I think this movie is slowly starting to become a cult classic. I can find it in any store nowadays, along with his other few great movies. If you're a fan of the car chase, you'll love this movie for the realism of the impressive 40 minute car chase at the end of the movie. It is AWESOME! Best thing since Bullitt with Steve McQueen. It's great considering you didn't have the special effects. Enjoy the movie! It's a must see!