Gone In 60 Seconds

Herald rating: **

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie

Director: Dominic Sena

Rating: M (medium level violence)

Running time: 112 mins

Opens: Now showing Village and Hoyts, Berkeley cinemas

Review: Russell Baillie

Would you buy a used-car movie from these men?

These men being the duo of Nicolas Cage and uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose past joint credits extend to The Rock and Con Air.

Fine popcorn entertainments they were too, playing on Cage's unlikeliness as an action hero and featuring a satisfying line in explosions and memorable supporting players.

Now here's Gone in 60 Seconds where Cage is playing a near relative of his Con Air good ol' boy - he's Randall "Memphis" Raines, a reformed master car thief who must go back into the "boost" business to save the life of his younger brother. He has to steal 50 top-of-the-line or rare autos within 48 hours for a crime lord (Christopher Eccleston as yet another English public school old boy-turned-villain) so quickly assembles a colourful crew to help out.

So, at the very least, some cool car chases?

If only. Yes, there is a climatic gearbox wrecker involving Cage in a classic American muscle car, the vintage of which reminds that Gone's attempt at retro-petrolhead chic comes from being a remake of a forgotten mid-70s car-chase flick of the same name.

But otherwise, this bunny-hops along a potholed plot, many an uninspired action sequence and a criminally underused supporting cast.

The latter includes Robert Duvall as Memphis' wise old mentor, Delroy Lindo as the grand theft auto detective who's long been on his case, and Angelina Jolie as his hotwire-handy ex.

But strong characterisation was never meant to be part of this sort of thing. Actually, it's funnier when it tries - like when Memphis earnestly explains to his little brother (Giovanni Ribisi) just why he started converting cars in the good old days. The speech about the allure of automotive bodywork and freeway freedom is another one of those priceless bits of Cage-corn that should have his Leaving Las Vegas Oscar turning in its display case.

Of course, it's one loud flick, but a hole-in-the-muffler kind of loud: all noise, no power, its ride delivering just a few incidental thrills and laughs (the carjack gag is a doozie).

Those come as quite a relief when you've given up on the tension-free story, seemingly about the time its writers did too.

They might have been trying to recondition the cool car-chase movie of the Steven McQueen era. But it's flat, frequently silly and stuck in second gear as it drives you to distraction. Obviously, the Nic and Jerry franchise needs its tyres kicked.