Deadline Auto Theft - Fun 70-80s style action and stunts!
Gone in 60 Seconds II - Short thirty minutes but packed with the old school action!
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Ripped Off......in 60 seconds!
09/16/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I need to start by saying that this is a "2 Film" DVD. The first film is called "Deadline:Auto Theft", which is marketed as the final film in the Trilogy of Halicki movies. The packaging and cover art depict a Gullwinged sportscar being chased by the cops, led by chief Hoyt Axton. Being an avid fan of the Halicki films, Gone in 60 seconds and Junkman, I was very excited to see the big finale.
What a major letdown. The first 10 minutes of the film have a great car chase and some shots of Hoyt Axton doing police work. Then, the film transitions into "the original Gone in 60 seconds"? The last 80 minutes of this movie are the original film? How can this be the third in the Trilogy, if it is the same as the first movie. I felt completely ripped off!!!!!!!
What is up with this deception by Halicki Studios?
The second film is the unfinished Gone in 60 second 2, which is where Halicki ultimately met his death. It's nothing compared to the original, but I was just pleased at that point, that it wasn't a redub of the Junkman.
For completionists like myself, Buy the DVD, but just don't expect anything out of the first movie.
I still would have bought this DVD, if it was packaged The original Gone w/added footage and Gone 2. I just can't figure out why all the deceit?
Oh well!"
Deadline Auto Theft = Gone in 60 Seconds redone
02/01/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this at a local video store because I thought it was going to be something different than the original Gone in 60 Seconds. I mean, why wouldn't I with a different title, right? Wrong. Deadline Auto Theft is basically Gone in 60 Seconds with the footage it should've contained. I kept feeling dejavu when I watched it and I realized why when it started looking real familiar. If that wasn't enough of a let-down, the "Gone in 60 Seconds 2" is basically a semi crashing through a bunch of cars and the "slicer", a triangular shaped vehicle that goes under cars. 38 minutes of the "slicer" and cuts to the same police department dispatch footage from the first film (many of which the lips didn't match what was being said). The film quality is excellent, but there just isn't enough content here unless you're a die-hard Halicki fan. The only saving grace of this DVD is that it has a documentary and the picture quality is just better than the "Original Gone in 60 Seconds" DVD. Deadline Auto Theft is a more polished version and makes this the better DVD to own. As for me, I purchased the other version first and was duped into buying this one with the different name. I feel cheated. Two stars for deceiving the consumer."
Competent re-release of Gone In Sixty Seconds (1974)
Pieter Van Traylen | Australia | 12/04/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Although the cult classic Gone In Sixty Second's was filmed around 1974, the film was re-edited in the early 1980's. It is the same film, written, produced and directed by its star, H.B. Halicki.
Extra scenes were added with the late county & western singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton (who also played the inventor father in Gremlin's) playing Captain Gibbs, head of the Auto Theft division of the L.A. County Sheriff's Office. Real-life Playboy playmate Judy Gibbs appeared as his daughter.
Instead of detracting from the original film, the added scenes blended seamlessly and padded out the story to make a better film. The film was then reissued in 1989 as Deadline Auto Theft. As another huge fan of the Gone In Sixty Seconds movie, I found this film to be even more enjoyable since it had the added scenes to give it a subtle subplot."
All that's left to show of this ill-fated project...
J. Byler | Morgan Hill, CA USA | 01/13/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"To your "correct me if I am wrong" query about H.B. ("Toby") Halicki's death during the shooting of "Gone In Sixty Seconds 2", no...it wasn't a boat stunt that killed him. I was a camera operator on this ill-fated movie and I was running a camera on a hi-hat at the base of the water tower when the tower went down prematurely. Toby Halicki was standing right next to me when we heard the creaking of the tower as it began its unscheduled fall, and he began running away, 90 degrees away from the angle of fall, and presumably to safety. The steel cables that were holding up the tower snapped, whipped through the air (just missing me!) and then one of them cut down a telephone pole which tracked perfectly with Toby's path, killing him. It was like a very twisted version of the game "Mouse Trap" you played as a kid, but this was no game. We cheated death every single day of shooting, and the footage that was cut together for inclusion on this DVD was all that was in the can before he died. I bought this DVD just to have for my personal collection of things I've shot. It's very surreal for me to watch now, based on my experiences on that film... It's not really a great DVD on its own though, and is likely to disappoint."
One of two worthy purchases from the trilogy
Jeremy | Tucson, AZ USA | 07/12/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Now that I've finally seen all three of Halicki's films I have concluded that the only ones worth purchasing to the average Halicki fan (as opposed to a hardcore fan) are Gone in 60 Seconds and Deadline Auto Theft and I'll tell you why. We all have to agree that pacing a chase film wasn't Halicki's top talent as all of his films can drag and move slowly even during the car chases, especially to new young fans like myself who have been raised under a higher standard for action films. This problem is only horribly bad in The Junkman which I view as just an overall boring movie (with the tiny exception of the Vette hitting the old woman) so skip that one. With the other two, Deadline is like a Gone remix with a lot of boring parts taken out and new scenes for some extra story added in. I guess you could say it was bored out. Hehehee. So in conclusion, Deadline is the one you watch and Gone is the one you keep as a collectors item."