Memphis Raines (Nicolas Cage) is a retired car thief. He’s made his way south to avoid any repercussions for his poor decisions in the past, but something is about to drag him home. His brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) took a job to steal a car, but failed to deliver that car as promised. Gone in 60 Seconds is the story of Memphis and his ragtag team of car thieves as they attempt to steal fifty cars in forty-eight hours in order to save Kip’s life. Life in the fast lane is dangerous and the Raines brothers, and their friends and family, will soon learn that no bad deed goes unpunished.
Before The Fast and the Furious hit theaters in 2001, Gone in 60 Seconds took the world by storm and introduced them to a movie about car heists unlike anything before seen on the big screen. Much like the Fast and Furious franchise, Gone in 60 Seconds aims to be fun, full of thrills, and action packed. While it’s not beautiful, Director Dominic Sena and Writer Scott Roseberg do manage to accomplish their goals and create something enjoyable. From the opening moments Gone in 60 Seconds promises to be a crazy, fast-paced ride.
This film is dark, very literally. However, every moment of the film is brilliantly visible. The camera and lighting departments marry together beautifully as they create visuals that allow viewers to see absolutely everything and become immersed in the story of Memphis, Kip, and their cohorts. This aspect of Gone in 60 Seconds allows the rest of the film to come to life and entertain viewers.
My biggest issue with Gone in 60 Seconds is the fact that Cage is the film’s lead. How in the world Cage has made it as far as he has with what limited acting skills he possesses I will never understand. As he guides viewers throughout this rampage of a film I couldn’t help but become frustrated with his lack of talent and his inability to appropriately convey emotion. Cage is wonky, all over the place, and his style of acting is wildly unappealing, making nearly every moment of his screen time, at the very least, annoying. While there is a lot to like about Sena’s film, the fact that Casting Director Victoria Thomas chose Cage nullifies a lot of what the rest of the cast and crew are able to accomplish.
In addition to Cage’s Memphis, the rest of the characters–including Sara ‘Sway’ Wayland (Angelina Jolie), Mirror Man (T.J. Cross), and Detective Drycoff (Timothy Olyphant)–are oddly unrelatable. In a film where a family-esque dynamic exists, there are typically at least one or two characters that viewers can identify with, however, that reality escapes Gone in 60 Seconds. Memphis appears to be the one character viewers may be able to relate to, but Cage’s inability to properly fill the character’s shoes, takes that potential away.
Gone in 60 Seconds has something for fans of heist films, action films, and thrillers, as it combines the genres for a unique journey of insanity and fun. It’s sad to think that just one actor can drag the film down and cause viewers to struggle with what excitement it has to offer, but Cage does just that. There are roles that, even with his ineptitudes, Cage fits well, but the role of Memphis is not one of them. He’s cringey and unrelatable, causing Gone in 60 Seconds to lose some of its vigor. The success of the film comes greatly as a result of what Sena and Rosenberg are able to accomplish with their direction and writing, respectively. Gone in 60 Seconds is fun, nearly void of a dull moment, and thanks to this I was able to enjoy myself for the majority of the film.
Directed by Dominic Sena.
Written by Scott Rosenberg & H.B. Halicki.
Starring Nicolas Cage, Giovanni Ribisi, Angelina Jolie, T.J. Cross, William Lee Scott, Scott Caan, James Duval, Will Patton, Delroy Lindo, Timothy Olyphant, Chi McBride, Robert Duvall, Christopher Eccleston, Vinnie Jones, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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