The original 1974 film “Gone in 60 Seconds” started life as a B-movie, but become a cult classic. It’s the epitome of 1970s ‘car crash cinema’ with minimal plot, stock characters, but the longest car chase scene in movie history. The 2001 remake is a conventional Hollywood action movie that shares the title and some basic plot points, but little else. It’s got big-name Hollywood movie stars like Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie, it’s got cool cars and outrageous stunts.
In the original, the protagonist had to steal 50 cars in one night. In the remake, the protagonist has to steal 50 cars or his brother will be killed. Big difference! Memphis Raines (Nicholas Cage) is a retired car thief. Correction… he’s a criminal mastermind who now operates a go-kart track after leaving town and abandoning his family. Little brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) didn’t take the hint that ‘crime doesn’t pay’ and instead became a car their too. But now he’s in hot water with local gangsters, and the only way to settle the score is to pull off an impossible heist; 50 high-end, luxury and sports cars all in one night.
The first half of the movie is kind of like a lesson on how to steal cars at the turn of the century. The collection of kind-hearted thieves that Memphis arranges use high-tech computer wizardry, artificial fingerprints, and even night vision goggles to stake out the cars they’re going to steal. The plan is to hit all the cars in one night, before the bumbling cops ever get wind of the caper.
The villain is supposed to be sinister, but it mostly his English accent that reminds movie-goers of old British crime films. In reality, he’s kind of goofy. He’s a gangster with a hobby of making wooden furniture. It’s the cast of characters that give the movie it’s personality. It’s a big production with massive stunts and plot holes so big you could drive a Mack truck through them. But who cares! It’s Hollywood action fluff. A lightweight movie that’s stylish and colourful and most importantly shows off some of the greatest cars on the silver screen. Case in point: Eleanor.
In the 1974 film “Gone In 60 Seconds” the original Eleanor was a pale yellow 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1. In the remake, the universally-loved 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 was utilized instead. The highly-modified pony car has entered the public consciousness, and if you ask gearheads to describe an Eleanor Mustang they’ll tell you she’s a silver Mustang fastback with black racing stripes, front-mounted fog lights and side-pipe exhaust.
However, Denice Halicki (widow of H.B. Halicki the writer/director/star of the original film) claims that Eleanor isn’t a car, but a character, and is therefore protected by copyright laws. Movie cars have previously been dragged into legal battles, such as DC Comics claiming a copyright on the Batmobile. In 2015 they shut down shops selling Batmobile replicas. In this case, judges ruled that Eleanor is a movie prop and not a character, and therefore cannot be protected by copyright. Eleanor doesn’t have conceptual qualities, it doesn’t have consistent traits, and unlike the Batmobile, is not particularly distinctive. Denice Halicki has vowed to take the matter all the way to the Supreme Court.
Aside from the title and the stealing 50 cars plot, the other aspect duplicated in the remake of “Gone in 60 Seconds” is the jump. The big moment of the final car chase scene in both movies is Eleanor flying through the air. This time, Nicholas Cage guns his mustang at a tow truck ramp and launches it over a road block. Totally unrealistic, defying the laws of physics; it makes the movie the big, dumb, fun we all secretly wanted!
Great chase scenes. Manual transmission Mustangs rule when it comes to getaway cars.
I think one day I’d like a manual, convertible, V8 powered Mustang. Then my life will be complete.