Adrenaline junkies and car buffs will race to see Gone in 60 Seconds, a macho actioner produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock, Armageddon, Con Air).
A reformed car thief (Cage) is given three days to steal 50 pristine autos for a crime kingpin in exchange for his brother’s life. To do so, he rallies his own retired partners, including a heroin-chic hottie (Jolie) whose idea of a romantic drive starts with disabling The Club. Old school meets high tech when young auto rustlers join this illegal crusade being waged for the “right” reasons. A core value involves friends and family sticking out their necks for one another.
As the audience roots for Cage and Co. to outsmart police, elude rival boosters and take down the British baddie, they get tepid “don’t try this at home” moralizing that competes with lines like, “You have to work twice as hard when it’s honest.” This film also includes nonstop profanity, alcohol use, bone-crunching fistfights, violent shootouts, a lesson in masturbation and other sexual situations. As if watching an erotic movie, Cage and Jolie are aroused while spying on a nearly naked couple in the throes of passion.
Let’s cut to the chase (which, in this film, is a hairy ride at 160 mph punctuated by lots of twisted metal). As summer action movies go, Gone in 60 Seconds is high-octane eye candy with a few redemptive moments, but far too many moral knocks and pings to give teenagers a smooth ride.
