Speed (1994)

Genre

Action | Crime | Thriller

Director

Jan de Bont

Country

United States

Cast

Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, Jeff Daniels, Alan Ruck, Glenn Plummer, Richard Lineback, Beth Grant, Hawthorne James, Richard Schiff, Carlos Carrasco, David Kriegel, Natsuko Ohama, Daniel Villarreal

Plot

Following the attempt of blowing up an elevator full of hostages, foiled by Los Angeles SWAT, bomber terrorist Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) rigs a bomb to a LA city bus. The stipulation is: once armed, the bus must stay about 50 mph to keep from exploding. Also if LAPD Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) tries to unload any passengers off, Payne will detonate it.

Jack's superior, Lt. McMahon (Joe Morton), and Jack's partner, Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels), supports Jack helping him try to defuse the bomb. 

Opinion

I thought this film got so much love because it is when the male audience first meet Sandra Bullock. Now I see the other reasons. Speed is a terrific, tense and energetic action/thriller film. Even better than the Die Hard series, with the overrated Bruce Willis. Debutant director Jan de Bont, former director of photography, did a great job.

Good performances from Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven and Dennis Hopper as Howard Payne. The performance from Sandra Bullock as Annie stands out.

Quotes

Howard Payne: Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?

Rating

8.0/10