To snobs like me, summer represents an inevitable cinematic dumbing down. I try not to unfairly judge these movies before seeing them, but alas, when a preview ends with the words “Summer 2000,” I automatically assume fewer brain cells will be activated, which doesn’t mean I absolutely don’t enjoy mindless entertainment (I liked Barb Wire, okay?). Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of Gone In 60 Seconds, is responsible for some of the most supreme examples of mindless entertainment in film history: Top Gun, The Rock, and Flashdance, to name three. He is also behind the worst movie ever made: Armageddon. So it was with trepidation and not much optimism that I saw Gone In 60 Seconds.
And I liked it! Hey Jerry! Based on a 1974 movie of the same name, Gone In 60 Seconds is a predictable car chase movie with an almost incidental plot revolving around family and redemption. Nicolas Cage is Randall “Memphis” Raines, an expert car thief trying to put his past behind him. Giovanni Ribisi is Kip Raines, Memphis’ younger brother. Kip has a bad attitude, bad hair, and gets himself into trouble that only big brother can help him out of. Memphis assembles a team of capable misfits, including Robert Duvall as the Mr. Miyagi-like Otto Halliwell, and Angelina Jolie as former girlfriend Sara “Sway” Wayland. Angelina Jolie did not need to be in this movie. She was more a piece of scenery than an essential character, and that Battlefield Earth wig made it difficult to imagine what Cage’s character ever saw in her. The best interactions between the cast occur whenever she’s not around.
Wait! Didn’t I say I liked it? Thankfully, the movie doesn’t linger too long on the elements that might have made it unbearable: the kiddie go-cart track where Memphis works, the pointless Asian driver stereotyping, the silly conclusion of the final shoot out, the fact that there seem to be no policemen in all of Los Angeles. These deficiencies don’t detract from the forward motion of the movie. There are some great car chases, though not enough. There are some incredible stunts as well, including a hilarious, wild scene during a chase on the piers that was the highlight of the movie.
Oh, and another thing. Remember that awful Aerosmith song from Armageddon? Well, there’s more musical ickiness of the same vein here. This time the sappy power ballad is performed by The Cult, apparently attempting a comeback by repulsing all of their old fans. With a couple of exceptions, the soundtrack to Gone In 60 Seconds is completely uninspired. I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of tracks have been in other movies. The business of movie soundtracks gets more insidious and blatantly commercial every year.
The annual lowering of expectations works in favor of Gone In 60 Seconds. In summer, without many big hits on the horizon, this stands out. At least in early June. If you go, expect a good Bruckheimer movie, but not a movie that’s going to clean up during the next awards season. Gone In 60 Seconds is mindless in a good way.
+ David Kern
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