Gone in 60 Seconds (PG-13, 2000)

In GONE IN 60 SECONDS, reformed car thief Memphis (Nicolas Cage) must get back into the game to save his brother, Kip (Giovanni Ribisi). Kip reveres his older brother's mastery of the grand theft auto as a Zen art form, but he also resents him for walking away from that life and from his family. Kip is supposed to steal 50 cars for a very mean guy with an English accent and a passion for woodwork. When Kip blows it, the baddie tells Memphis that he has to get the 50 cars in four days, or Kip goes into the car-size trash compacter. The screen shows a countdown as we see Memphis put it all together. The car thieves tangle with a gang that thinks they should be the ones to get this steal-for-order assignment, some even worse nemeses, and the cops (Delroy Lindo and Timothy Olyphant).

Gone in 60 Seconds is a check-your-brain-at-the-door, dig into some popcorn, sit back and enjoy summer explosion movie, brought to you by the same folks who did Con Air. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has this formula down cold: top acting talent (Oscar-winners Cage, Angelina Jolie, and Robert Duvall, along with rising star Ribisi and the sensationally talented Lindo), some snappy dialogue, a cool and clever hero, and lots and lots of chases, all done with such panache that even a "my dog ate it" plot twist doesn't derail things.

Memphis and the cop both long to capture one elusive prize. For Memphis, it is "Eleanor," the '67 Mustang he never managed to steal successfully. For the cop, it is Memphis himself, the one thief he never managed to catch.