Just how many movies can there be in which an ex-con has to go in for one last shot? 'Cause that's what Memphis (Nicolas Cage) has to do to save his brother in "Gone in Sixty Seconds". If you're guessing that you've seen this plot before, you most likely have. Half a mo', did I say "plot"? Action flicks with A-list stars don't need no stinkin' plot! Just a lot of car chases. In this case, Memphis has to steal 50 cars in 72 hours or his brother is dead meat. Hmm...now will this cool dude, played by an Oscar-winning actor, be able to pull it off? Wait a minute. I haven't even mentioned the rest of the cast. But do I need to? Isn't it always the case that he assembles a ragtag team of misfits, including a tough woman (Angelina Jolie)? Anyway, there are lots of good movies out there, so why would you bother wasting your time on this? Maybe now that Angelina Jolie is a mother, she'll start making better choices about which movies she chooses. Maybe. Also starring Giovanni Ribisi, Will Patton, Delroy Lindo, Chi McBride, Robert Duvall, Christopher Eccleston and Vinnie Jones.

A flashy, high-octane blockbuster movie with a big budget, big cast, and lots of adrenaline-pumping action, including a spectacular dramatic car chase which is very exciting to watch. One thing confuses me: why all the negative reviews? It seems that few if any people actually admit to liking this film, most of them slagging it off for being lame brained, over-the-top entertainment. That may be so, but I'm a sucker for action movies and this one hit the mark as far as I'm concerned. It may not be the best film ever made, it may not even be a very good one, but it packs in the excitement where it counts.

Coming from the Jerry Bruckheimer stable, the film is packed full of the quick editing and noisy music we've come to expect from the producer of movies like CON AIR and Armageddon. Although the movie is quite slow to begin with, and it seems to take an age for the car-stealing to actually begin, once it does you won't be disappointed. Bruckheimer has assembled an all-star cast for his movie and although many of the actors and actresses are wasted, it's nice to have their presence felt nonetheless. A case in point is Robert Duvall: he has about fifteen minutes max screen time as the wise old man. A blond-haired Nicolas Cage takes the lead and puts in a rather subdued and forgettable performance, whilst in comparison Christopher Eccleston goes way over the top as the manic bad guy. Angelina Jolie lends the film some glamour but, in a film about expensive, beautiful sports cars, her presence is rather unnecessary. Giovanni Ribisi plays another brain dead moron to a realistic effect, while faces like those of Will Patton and Vinnie Jones fill out minor roles, the latter to great effect as a mute hard man.

Okay, okay, I can see this film's flaws. The cheesy sentimentalising creeps in a bit too often for my liking, and all of the action is concentrated near the end instead of being spread out. However, I still stand by my words that the finale is a fantastic piece of work and that this is a great, easy viewing popcorn experience which doesn't disappoint. Just watch it expecting a movie with cool action AND wit, like THE MATRIX.

Kip Raines (Giovanni Ribisi) is a brash car thief. His brother Memphis (Nicolas Cage) retired from the business to run a kiddie go-cart business. After a Kip screw up, Atley Jackson (Will Patton) forces Memphis to take over the job as the villain Raymond Calitri (Christopher Eccleston) keeps Kip hostage. Memphis has to steal 50 specific cars in 4 days. He reassembles some of his old crew with Kip's new crew. Detectives Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo) and Drycoff (Timothy Olyphant) are hot on his trail.

Ribisi is his usual jittery hopeless loser character. Cage is toned down in this one. In a sense, that's indicative of a missed opportunity. It tries to be serious a little and that's the wrong path. This needs to be silly and fun. It also needs more Jolie who is really only tied for the third lead with a dozen other actors. This really needs to be fun wall-to-wall car chases. There is not enough of them and after an initial chase, it takes too long to get to the next one.