Director: H.B. Halicki
Written by: H.B. Halicki
Cast: H.B. Halicki, Marion Busia, Jerry Daugirda, James McIntyre

Year / Country: 1974, USA
Running Time: 98 mins.

Stunt driver H.B. Halicki ventured into film with this independent flick that features the longest chase scene in film history. Halicki did everything himself; producing, acting, writing, directing and of course performing the many car stunts the film contains. The result is a somewhat unbalanced but nevertheless entertaining piece of popcorn cinema.

The story revolves around Maindrian Pace, a professional car thief who accepts the job to ‘collect’ 48 cars within a week. He and his colleagues start stealing cars all over L.A., but run into trouble when they attempt to nick a yellow Ford Mustang from 1973. Pace has to outrun the entire police force through several states, wreaking havoc wherever he goes.

The lack of story is compensated with car stunts galore, and Halicki knows how to pass on his passion for automobiles. Enthusiasts will revel at the sight of all great classic models on display here. Action fans will certainly enjoy the powerful stunt work, and movie fans in general might enjoy the seventies haircuts, atmosphere and music.

Still it feels a bit empty. Perhaps it’s the lack of personality of the characters, or it might be humor that is missing a bit. In any case it feels like a true ‘friends and family’ movie, which is something all cinema fans should definitely encourage. Besides, there is plenty to enjoy. The build-up is already reasonably suspenseful and once the chase starts, there is barely time to breathe. Halicki certainly deserves credit for realizing his dream and creating a one-of-a-kind movie in the process.

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Biography: H.B. Halicki (1940, New York – 1989, New York), also known as Toby and ‘The Car Crash King’ started his career in the towing business of his family. As a teenager he decided to move to California after losing two brothers. By the time he was 17, Halicki owned and operated his own body shop, while he simultaneously collected a wide range of automobiles. In 1974 Halicki made his feature debut with Gone in 60 Seconds, for which he contributed his enormous collection of cars. Several of those were damaged beyond repair during the shoot. After the film Halicki continued collecting cars, and he became owner of one of the largest private car collections in the world. In 1989 when Halicki was shooting Gone in 60 Seconds 2, he was killed when a telephone pole fell on him during a stunt.

Filmography: Gone in 60 Seconds (1974), The Junkman (1982), Deadline Auto Theft (1983)