Themes: Hotshots, Race Against Time, Perfect Crime
Main Cast: Christopher J.C. Agajanian, J.C.Sr. Agajanian, Gary Bettenhausen, Billy Englehart, Jonathan E. Fricke, Markos Kotsikos, Hal McClain
Release Year: 1974
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Maindrian Pace (H.B. Halicki) is a master car thief who heads an elaborate organization of professionals. Using an insurance investigation company as a front, Pace and his associates buy junked cars from accident scenes, steal new autos of the same model and color, then switch the serial numbers for resale. It's a lucrative business, but when some shady characters offer them 400,000 dollars to deliver 50 specific luxury vehicles, the challenge is too much to pass up. The burglars put on disguises and waste no time in lifting limousines, official racecars, and Rolls-Royces (even stopping by a television studio to steal actor Lyle Waggoner's convertible). When Pace discovers that a recently stolen Cadillac has a million dollars worth of heroin in the trunk, he destroys the car and the drugs, which infuriates his adversarial partner, Eugene (Jerry Daugirda). Just as Pace is stealing a bright yellow Mustang (code-named Eleanor), the Los Angeles police department gives chase, tipped off by Eugene's anonymous call. This leads to the meat of the film, a wild 40-minute pursuit which takes Pace and the police through five cities and leads to the destruction of 93 cars. Gone in 60 Seconds was a big hit for first time director/writer/producer/star H.B. Halicki, and inspired a big-budget remake in 2000. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
Review
Beginning with the legend, "H.B. Halicki Mercantile Co. & Junk Yard Presents," the original Gone in 60 Seconds gets right to the heart of the matter as the opening credits roll, listing only the yellow Mustang named Eleanor as its star. Halicki was the owner of a successful body shop and salvage business before entering the movie world, and single-handedly created this energetic orgy of car crashes and high-speed chases. Not only did Halicki have control over the artistic and financial aspects of the production, but the maverick moviemaker performed most of the film's spectacular stunts as well, smashing into police cars, garbage trucks, and even a highway light pole. This last unscripted collision was real, bringing the post down across the windshield and almost killing the determined director. Knowing that Halicki was working without a net makes the cataclysmic 40 minute chase that much more hair-raising. Some of the stunts were filmed illegally, without any kind of permits or police escort, and the slightest miscalculation could have taken out scores of unsuspecting bystanders. While car chases and crashes had long been staples of action pictures, Gone in 60 Seconds raised the bar and paved the way for the grotesque excess of future films like Smokey and the Bandit and The Blues Brothers. Unlike these cartoonish spectacles, however, Halicki doesn't shy away from the unpleasant aftermath of road accidents, including shots of ambulances helping wounded drivers to safety and firefighters battling blazing wrecks. That's not to say that Gone in 60 Seconds is a hard-boiled affair. The overall tone of the film is breezy, and Maindrian Pace's fractured morality helps keep the audience on his side. Since the hero restricts his stealing to insured vehicles, it's the insurance company and not the car owners who get screwed (or so the theory goes). Considering the years that Halicki spent in the auto salvage business, it's possible that the criminal plot that drives Gone in 60 Seconds began as a wicked fantasy that he was too honest to actually carry out. Instead, Halicki put the caper on film, let the action tell the story, and wound up with a serious drive-in hit. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
Cast
Marion Busia - Pumpkin Chase; George Cole - Atlee Jackson; Jerry Daugirda - Eugene Chase; Parnelli Jones; James McIntire; H.B. Halicki - Maindrian Pace; Ronald Halicki - Corlis Pace; Christopher J.C. Agajanian; J.C.Sr. Agajanian; Gary Bettenhausen; Billy Englehart; Jonathan E. Fricke; Markos Kotsikos; Hal McClain
Credit
H.B. Halicki - Director, Warner E. Leighton - Editor, Ronald Halicki - Composer (Music Score), Philip Kachaturian - Composer (Music Score), Jack Vacek - Cinematographer, John Vacek, Sr. - Cinematographer, H.B. Halicki - Producer, Mark Hanes - Sound/Sound Designer, H.B. Halicki - Screenwriter, Lisa Satriano - Second Unit Assistant Director
