Over 500 Crashes? Sign Me Up! A Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

Released by: Mill Creek

Release Date: July 8th, 1974 (Theatrical)
                        January 3rd, 2017 (Blu-ray)

Region Code: REGION A (locked)

Run Time: 1h 37m

Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English)

Video: 1080p (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio)

Maindrian Pace: [Before the famous 40 minute chase scene] I should have read my horoscope this morning.

THE FEATURES ⭐⭐⭐

Introduction (2m 24s, SD)

Denice Halicki, wife of H.B. Halicki, talks about her husband and his passions and the stunts in the film. Please note that this intro is NOT accessible from the menu. If you skip over it like I did, you will have to stop the player and restart the disc.

Trailer (1m 30s, HD)

Interviews (31m 26s, SD)

Featuring Lee Iacocca, Parnelli, Jones, JC Agagani Jr, and Bobby Ore, these interviews cover everything from the inception and production of the Ford Mustang to the stunts and filming. These interviews are worth a watch.

Rare Footage (15m 49s, HD)

Here we get all kinds of footage that didn't make it into the film. We get some first person driving, stunts, a few bits of acting, and some other odds and ends. This footage is mostly soundless and can become kind of slog to get through, although there is some interesting footage peppered throughout.

THE PACKAGING ⭐⭐1/2

The front cover features Eleanor being chased by the cops while a giant explosion happens in the background. Underneath the title reads "The Original Classic". I hate the fact that companies have to put this on films now, but it is there so we all have to get used to it.

The back cover features a big picture of Eleanor with a list of the special features to the right. There are also some pictures of cars crashing or flipping with some text informing us that there are over 500 crashes in the film. Below that is a two sentence description of the film (sounds about right). Below that we are informed about Mill Creek's digital copy service. We end on the technical information about the film.

The disc art features the same artwork that is found on the front cover.

Also included is a digital copy of the film redeemable at Mill Creek's website.

The disc is REGION A (locked)

THE PICTURE ⭐⭐⭐1/2

This is very strong showing from Mill Creek. The film looks fantastic, keeping the grain intact while the colors are true to the source. Detail is high and there is no DNR or any other manipulation found here. I did spot a few instances of encoding problems, but over all this is a very nice looking picture.


THE SOUND ⭐⭐1/2

Mill Creek has given us a lossy 5.1 track for this release and the results are mixed. While I found nothing all that wrong with the track itself (outside of some sync issues that I assume are part of the film and not this mix) I wish that we had been given a lossless track. Don't get me wrong; this track is serviceable, but for a film that relies so much on the sounds of the cars, this track is a bit limp.

THE FILM ⭐⭐⭐

Gone in 60 Seconds is a film that many will scoff at. Memories of the remake starring Nicolas Cage will undoubtedly be the in the minds of those who see this film on the shelves at their local Target, or on TV as part of a marathon that El Rey cooks up. But do not fret, this film is good and bad at the same time.

The plot to the film is not important. just as the plot to a martial arts film or a musical are not important. What is important is the cool factor and the car chases and stunts. Gone in 60 Seconds delivers in spades on both accounts. This is a film that doesn't really need a plot because the film is going to be all about the chases and the stunts, but you got to get people through the film and just showing stunts and car crashes isn't going to win the audience over. That would be monotonous. People want to see some type of story even if it is crude.

The film is about an insurance investigator and his team who work the insurance job during the day and steal cars at night. This gets them the attention of a South American drug lord, who pays Pace to steal 48 cars. Pace and his team know that they can do this job quick and they do, but one car eludes them: a 1973 Ford Mustang. As Pace makes his way to the car, code name Eleanor, the police are closing in on Pace. Detectives are waiting for Pace, who makes good on his promise to steal Eleanor. Pace then leads the police on a chase that lasts for 40 minutes.

The chase that takes up the last 40 minutes of the film is amazing. In fact all of the stunts and chases are great, but this one takes the cake and the filmmakers knew it. By the time the final chase starts, the plot of the film is essentially over. Sure, the whole point of the chase is the climax of the film, but do we care about that anymore once we are into the chase? No. We just want to see how H.B. Halicki, the film's star, director, writer, and driver, is going to get away. We are thrown knee deep into this chase and we watch in awe of the stunts and brilliant driving on display here.

Gone in 60 Seconds is not a great film. The "plot" takes up too much time. We have come to this film to watch cars drive fast and hair-raising stunts being performed. Once the film gets going, we don't care anymore about the plot. This may be why the film's sequel, Gone in 60 Seconds 2 is 34 minutes long. Halicki removed the plot and just given us the goods. I haven't seen that one yet, but I am sure that it is just as good as this film. Halicki is a hell of a driver and he is what makes this film what it is: a dance of car stunts and crazy driving.

OVERALL ⭐⭐⭐

Gone in 60 Seconds is just plain fun. The plot is nothing more than an excuse to allow the actors and stuntmen to drive really fast and crash a ton of cars and there is nothing wrong with that. The picture quality is really nice and the sound quality isn't bad. I wish that Mill Creek had ported over all of the special features from the special edition dvd, but the ones that they did port over are good. This is worth the price and since it is Mill Creek, you know that the price is low.