Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

Beginning with the legend, "H.B. Halicki Mercantile Co. & Junk Yard Presents," the original Gone in 60 Seconds gets right to the heart of the matter as the opening credits roll, listing only the yellow Mustang named Eleanor as its star. Halicki was the owner of a successful body shop and salvage business before entering the movie world, and single-handedly created this energetic orgy of car crashes and high-speed chases. Not only did Halicki have control over the artistic and financial aspects of the production, but the maverick moviemaker performed most of the film's spectacular stunts as well, smashing into police cars, garbage trucks, and even a highway light pole. This last unscripted collision was real, bringing the post down across the windshield and almost killing the determined director. Knowing that Halicki was working without a net makes the cataclysmic 40 minute chase that much more hair-raising. Some of the stunts were filmed illegally, without any kind of permits or police escort, and the slightest miscalculation could have taken out scores of unsuspecting bystanders. While car chases and crashes had long been staples of action pictures, Gone in 60 Seconds raised the bar and paved the way for the grotesque excess of future films like Smokey and the Bandit and The Blues Brothers. Unlike these cartoonish spectacles, however, Halicki doesn't shy away from the unpleasant aftermath of road accidents, including shots of ambulances helping wounded drivers to safety and firefighters battling blazing wrecks. That's not to say that Gone in 60 Seconds is a hard-boiled affair. The overall tone of the film is breezy, and Maindrian Pace's fractured morality helps keep the audience on his side. Since the hero restricts his stealing to insured vehicles, it's the insurance company and not the car owners who get screwed (or so the theory goes). Considering the years that Halicki spent in the auto salvage business, it's possible that the criminal plot that drives Gone in 60 Seconds began as a wicked fantasy that he was too honest to actually carry out. Instead, Halicki put the caper on film, let the action tell the story, and wound up with a serious drive-in hit. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide