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Gone In Sixty Seconds and Nicolas Cage

A sort of movie review

By Alexis M. CollazoPublished about a year ago Updated 9 months ago 3 min read
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Gone In Sixty Seconds and Nicolas Cage
Photo by toine G on Unsplash

Let’s Talk About Cage: Gone in 60 Seconds

I have no problem admitting that some of my favorite movies are often ridiculed and generally accepted as kind of bad. I think people expect way too much, not every movie needs to be an artistic masterpiece. I am totally okay with a movie having a completely unbelievable plot, no character development and less than stellar performances. Some movies are just entertaining and fun to watch. This is pretty much the case with “Gone In 60 Seconds.” Nicolas Cage himself is quoted as saying it "has kind of a glorified '70s B-movie aura." Whether that’s a compliment or insult is up to individual taste.

While I’m here to talk specifically about Cage, there are a couple other reasons I like the movie. First of all, who doesn’t like a heist movie and the seemingly impossible job of stealing 50 cars in one-night amps up the stakes. I also adore Giovanni Ribisi and will watch anything for him alone. Angelina Jolie also costars, but her performance is mostly overshadowed by her ridiculous hair. I’d really like to know who thought that was a good idea.

Getting back to Cage. Known for his over-the-top performances, this movie stands out because of how little of that we see. For most of the movie he’s very serious, calm and I’d say subdued. On a closer watch it might just fit in fit in with his style of overacting, where instead of amping up he’s completely dialed down. Although there are a few subtle moments of ridiculousness slipped in throughout the movie. One particular scene that I appreciated was just before the crew sets out for their twenty-four hour boost-a-thon. It starts with Cage's character, legendary car thief Memphis Raines, pulling a leather jacket out of box and telling himself “I am a bad man.” Then we see him descend the stairs to join the gathered crew, where he thanks them and imparts a few words of wisdom in a very deep and meaningful tone. It’s followed by a weird seemingly meditative preparation ritual to the song “Low Rider.” As the song plays Cage awkwardly wiggles his fingers in the air and ends with a twitchy hand flap. It hilariously overdramatic, unnecessary, and just plain bizarre. But it also comes off as significant in only a way that Cage could pull off.

Along with this we do get a few other of a more animated Cage. But seeming apt for the character of Randall “Memphis” Raines he quickly reigns himself in. It does finally pay off toward the end of the movie when we get one of Cage’s signature meltdowns. Upon delivering the last car late the big bad, Raymond Calitri, declares he’s late and didn’t deliver on the deal. To which Cage responds with a tirade about being tired, wired and deserving a little appreciation. The whole movie and Cages performance seemed to build up to the moment he gets to let loose. Granted it’s pretty short, less than a minute, but it’s still so satisfying to watch.

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Sometime last year I agreed to contribute to a Nicholas Cage appreciation group article. I volunteered because it seemed like fun project and wouldn't be too hard of a job. Unfortunately, the article was never published. (Or it was in some obscure part of the website I can't find.) So now it's here for your enjoyment, because well I did the work and I'm not letting it go to waste.

I understand things happen, but I will admit to being pretty annoyed at the situation. Not only did it not get published I never got a response to follow-up emails about the article status. Bad enough, it wasn't a paying gig, but I did the work and didn't even get to see it published. FYI being a not-for-profit site, doesn't automatically mean you shouldn't pay writers, plenty of nonprofits pay people for their work. Additionally, if you're not paying you should be extra considerate about following through or at least communicating well.

Sorry end of rant thanks for reading.

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About the Creator

Alexis M. Collazo

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. An avid reader, writer and multimedia creator. Relocated to Pennsylvania where she is currently focused on writing, crafting and leading workshops online. Visit www.alexismcollazo.com for more info.

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