Max’s Drive-In Movie – Gone In Sixty Seconds (1974)

Eleanor

I won’t only review classic movies or cult movies…sometimes car chase movies will get in here. This movie is special to me because parked in the lobby of the Nashville Theater I saw this movie in… was Eleanor the car that was actually in the movie. I got to touch it and it was like touching gold to a 7-year-old. I remember watching the trailer and my aunt taking me to see it. My mom would not have approved of me seeing this movie but my rebellious aunt took my sister and me to see it.

This is not the best-acted film but the spirit of it is awesome. It was made on a low budget of $150,000 but made 40 million at the box office. It was written, directed, produced, and starring H.B. “Toby” Halicki. It became famous for its car chases and destruction scenes, especially the lengthy, chaotic chase near the film’s conclusion.

There is a 40-minute car chase in this movie. Any mistakes stayed in and they added to the action. In one scene Eleanor hits a telephone pole and the pole falls on Eleanor and it wasn’t planned…they just keep going which adds to the realism. During the filming of the final chase, Eleanor sustained over 90 accidents and collisions. Halicki, who performed most of his own stunts, was injured multiple times.

There was a remake in 2000 with Nicolas Cage (who I like) and Angelina Jolie but NO…the original was so much better. Why was it better Max? Because the crashes and everything was real. The wrecks were real and there was nothing faked. Some of the actors were actual cops and some thieves were real in this movie as well. Halicki wanted everything to feel as real as possible, so there were no special effects or green screens for the action scenes. All the stunts were performed live, which added to the film’s authenticity.

With the exception of a few extras, the bulk of the bystanders/members of the public in the movie are real people just going about their business who had no idea that a film was being made.  This caused several incidents where people assumed a real police pursuit was in progress, with many trying to help the accident “victims”. This was guerilla filmmaking at it’s best.

I’ll give you a quick plot line. The movie follows a group of car thieves led by insurance investigator Maindrian Pace (played by Halicki) as they attempt to steal 48 high-end cars in five days. The plot itself is secondary to the car action.

This is not Gone With The Wind by any stretch of the imagination but if you want to see some very cool muscle and sports cars… this is the movie for you. He showed you exactly how to steal cars in the 70s and get away with it. The first half of the movie can drag at times but it sets you up for the last 40 minutes of that chase.

I will watch this movie every couple of years and I get caught up in the chase and how they switched Vin numbers, and motors, and hid what they were doing.

Gone In Sixty Seconds theater

The FULL Movie

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

38 thoughts on “Max’s Drive-In Movie – Gone In Sixty Seconds (1974)”

  4. I remember the posters for it back then but never saw it. I wonder how the hell they got permits to do that kind of shooting and didn’t end up in jail? Pretty cool that you saw the real car – what are the odds of all the theatres in the country that it would be shown at the one you went to?

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    1. They didn’t get all of the permits…they just shot and kept the bad wrecks off of busy roads… I’m not sure how they decide which theaters got the car….to a 7 year old it was really cool!

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      1. I bet it was! I would’ve loved to see the General Lee car from the Dukes of Hazzard in real life back in the day (even more if Daisy was there in her namesake clothing!) ; years later- in the 2000s- I kicked myself because one of the guys from Storm Chasers went to Toronto and was giving a talk and you could see his car – more a tank – that he used for chasing tornadoes. I didn’t go up to see it, and wish I would have .

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  5. I haven’t seen it. What an amazing investment! $150,000 but made 40 million. Gee wizz. 40 minute car chase and it all being real and most of the general public oblivious that a movie was happening around them Haha Very cool read Max.

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  9. Nice line in the trailer ‘you owe it to your car to see it…’

    (We felt quite safe parking our car outside the Odeon when we saw a movie, any movie. No one, especially someone under 21 would bother nicking a silvery-blue asthmatic four door Vauxhall Viva. No street cred at ALL!)

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  11. I loved seeing car chases and enjoyed movies like “Bullitt” and “French Connection” while growing up in Germany. While I’m well aware of the movie’s title, I don’t believe I ever saw “Gone in 60 seconds.” I will say a 40-minute car chase sounds a bit like the equivalent of a prog rock track, but there are some prog rock acts I’ve come to dig! 🙂

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    1. Now this movie is not in their league as far as acting…but the 40 minute chase scene is really good and knowing that many in the film didn’t know they were in a film made it exciting. I love Eleanor that Mustang…I think it’s a 1971 I think…

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  13. Pingback: Max’s Drive-In Movie – Gone In Sixty Seconds (1974) – MobsterTiger

    1. I want to see the Junkman…I never have… I think he got killed while making Gone in Sixty Seconds II….I want to see that. I need to get the Blu-ray…thanks!

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