WARNING: This Review May Contain Spoilers
Lock your car, or it’ll be gone in sixty seconds. I watched the Nicholas Cage version of Gone in Sixty Seconds so many times before I realised it was a remake. Now let me introduce you to my favourite car, thanks to this film (not that I will ever get the opportunity to drive one), Eleanor – and all her sisters, of course.
Reason for the Steal
In the original Gone in Sixty Seconds, Pace is actually asked to steal the 48 cars by a drug lord from South America, whereas in the remake the reason is much darker. In order to save Kip from the wrath of Colletri, an English gangster middle-man (thought we were passed the days where the English were the bad guys?) for a South American dealer, Memphis needs to steal the cars to complete the list his little brother failed to fill. So, the stories aren’t massively different – they just decided to add an additional step in 2000.
Feeling of the Film
I don’t know if it is because of when each of these films was made, but I get a much more sedate vibe from the original Gone in Sixty Seconds than I do from the 2000 version. Maybe it is because we see a lot more of their personal lives compared to the high octane car theft that fills the majority of the remake. One thing I cannot deny however, is that it’s pretty funny to see Atlee chased from one of the cars he’s trying to steal by a tiger.
Eleanor
The most elusive car of all 48, well 50 by the remake. They actually come quite close to grabbing her straight away in the original Gone in Sixty Seconds while the team are at the airport however no one seemed to notice a woman sitting in the driver’s seat. Something I do wonder about however, is how many people in Long Beach own a yellow Mustang for them to make so many attempts to steal her. In the remake, however, Eleanor is saved for last, as all best things are.
Strangely, she is also two different styles of car. In the original 1974 version – Eleanor is a 1971 Mustang Sportsroof, but in the 2000 remake she is a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 (the favourite car I mentioned at the very beginning of this article)
Catch the Criminal
Something I never expected to see in the original Gone in Sixty Seconds, is that Eugene actually sets the police on the team, but it’s not clear if they catch Pace at the end. Instead the police are on to them from the very beginning in the 2000 version due to them discovering the manufacturer of the keys used by Kip and his gang. Downside for the police however, they know that they’re on to them.
Record Race
So I’ve talked before about how The Blues Brothers held the record for the most cars destroyed in a single film. The 1974 Gone in Sixty Seconds however, still holds the record for the longest car chase in a film, spanning more than 50 minutes. It basically makes up the finale of the whole film, so it really does go out with a bang. Only downside is, Eleanor does not come out of it the way she started. Unfortunately the final chase between the police and Eleanor in the 2000 version, doesn’t last anywhere near as long but she does finish the chase in a much better condition than her predecessor.
In Conclusion
I may have found the original film a little dull, until the final 50 minutes, in comparison to the 2000 remake but I will never say not to give the original a chance. Most importantly, if you are a lover of cars, both these films are for you, but if you want a great soundtrack to go along with them, then definitely watch the remake.
