Blyss's Movie Review for:

Main Cast of Characters:

Nicolas Cage.........Randall "Memphis" Raines

Giovanni Ribisi..........Kip Raines

Angelina Jolie...........Sway

Christopher Eccleston.........Raymond Calitiri

Will Patton..........Atley Jackson

Delroy Lindo...........Detective Castlebeck

Timothy Olyphant...........Detective Drycoff

Chi McBride...........Donny Astricky

Vinnie Jones...........Sphinx

Scott Caan...........Tumbler

T.J. Cross...........Mirror Man

William Lee Scott...........Toby

2000. Rated: PG-13. Genre: Action, Adventure; 118 minutes

Blood is thicker than money.....

Kip Raines, younger brother of "Memphis" Raines, is following in his brother's footsteps. He wants to be a master car thief, but his work is messy. After making a really big deal with a foriegn baddie, Kip's boosts go sour and the man, Raymond Calitiri, still needs so many more cars. But he knows how to get what he wants. He traps Kip in a car in a junkyard until his hired man Atley can find Memphis and convince him to come back. Atley finds a reformed Memphis teaching kids race car driving in the middle of nowhere. Memphis is reluctant but knows that his brother needs him. But going back would mean that he had to break a promise to an important person about never going back to that life again. Once that person gives him the okay, he goes to Calitiri and agrees. However, Kip is only released after Memphis agrees to deliver a certain amount of stolen cars to Calitri at an almost impossible time frame. But Memphis knows the best car thiefs in the nation and is prepared to use them. He assembles a team: Sway, his former love interest, now a mechanic and bartender to make ends meet; Sphinx, a guy who never talks and works at a morgue; Donny, a humorous man who works as a driving instructor in order for people to get their driver's license; Otto, who now owns a garage and agrees to let Memphis use it as a homebase. After Kip brings himself and his crew into the deal, they are set. Can they find and steal that many cars in such a short time frame? Or will Calitri have the last laugh by killing the Raines brothers?

I rented this movie like 16 times before it ever came out on video! It is truly one of my favorites for many reasons. For one, it has a great cast. I most enjoyed the performances of Nicolas Cage as Memphis and Giovanni Ribisi as Kip. At the beginning, we see two renegade car thiefs who are in the game for very different reasons. By the end, Kip and Memphis can see things eye-to-eye. Another reason is that this movie mixes comedy and action. For instance, there is a scene where Otto's dog is after his sandwich when he is not looking and he eats the laser keys they need for the car boosts. Sphinx threatens to cut the dog open but Memphis just tells them to feed him Ex-Lax and then take him for a work. Two of Kip's crew do take him for a walk and just as Johnny B's people pull over and start harassing them, the dog poops. One of them runs over and digs the keys out of the poop and the other people get grossed out and leave. That was hilarious! However, the absolute best scene in the entire movie is when Memphis finally gets Eleanor. The scene where he gets away from the cops is one of the best car scenes I have seen since the Dukes of Hazzard! Totally awesome.

Overall, this movie is the total package. You have drama, action, and comedy all rolled up and tied with a bow. It is on my list of highly recommended films!

I rate this film: 10

Blyss