The Junkman Reviews

H.B. Halicki's follow-up to 1974's demolition derby-classic GONE IN 60 SECONDS isn't quite as rafishly original as the first film, but it's still an astonishing artifact from a time when if you wanted to smash up a bunch of cars on screen, you had to smash up a bunch of cars on screen — there were no CGI effects to help you fake it. Writer, producer, director, star and (most important) stunt driver Halicki plays international businessman and movie mogul Harlan Hollis, who's just finished his first feature, Gone in 60 Seconds. But Hollis has enemies, including one of his own executives, who hires a a band of assassins to kill Hollis and his family. Does that sound like an excuse for a long car chase? The ensuing orgy of auto crashes includes an array of banging, smashing, screeching, and exploding vehicles. Many filmmakers like to say they're mavericks, but H.B. "Toby" Halicki was the real deal. Born in Dunkirk, N.Y., the die-hard car lover moved to California at age 15 and forged a hugely successful career in custom auto-body work. At age 23 — with no film experience — he wrote, produced, directed, starred in and stunt drove for the feature-length demolition derby GONE IN 60 SECONDS just because he wanted to see the ultimate car chase. The Junkman's interesting cast includes "King of the Kustomizers" George Barris, longtime supplier of cars to the stars. And don't miss the cameo appearance by Eleanor, the yellow 1973 heartbreaker of a Mustang that was the real star of GONE IN 60 SECONDS. On a sober note, Halicki died as he lived: Behind the wheel. As he was about to undertake a stunt for the never-completed Gone in 60 Seconds II (1989), a freak accident toppled a water tower onto his car.