Bus 17 - Ultima fermata

Back in the mid 1990's myself and several other cops were hired to do stunt driving of police cars in the chase of the school bus. The actual incident occurred in Miami previously but this was filmed in Jacksonville, Fl. And the production executives were short on drivers that knew how to pursue. We also helped wit the uniform set up's, gun belts, fake Beretta 9mm. I know I notice BS cop rigs in movies and we tried to get them to set it up correctly.

The stars were very nice folks to us all. We were on set out around Bartram School off Atlantic & University Blvds. One day and a full banquet of food was set up for everybody. We also went over on the old Haines St. Expressway to stage the bus & police car chases. A lot of filming occurred but the movie of course was edited. Bruce Weitz was one actor that stood out to me as a down to earth guy. Many of us cops watched him in Hill Street Blues and that ensemble of actors were all awesome. Mr. Weitz would talk with you in relaxed times and I enjoyed speaking with him.

Occasionally, one is blessed with the opportunity to witness a legendary event, some freak of circumstance and Providence that will live on in one's memory long after the dross of day to day life has faded into blackness. The October 1996 world premiere of SUDDEN TERROR was just such an event.

This film was finely constructed, with profound philosophical underpinnings. Maria Conchita Alonso plays a bus driver whose charges consist of a handful of "special" children. The film quickly establishes her deep, abiding concern and outright love for these children, through a series of broad strokes in the form of conversational breakfast sallies between her and her character's husband, played with sensitivity and majesty by Dennis Boutsikaris.

Then, without warning, comes the first surprise of the night (but by no means the last). It seems that, despite the fact that Maria obviously loves children and desperately wants one, she is unable to have one!

Without a pause to let the audience recover from this staggering revelation, the film's pace picks up even more. After a brilliant and tantalizingly brief interlude at the bus company (spiced by the salty humor which in other films seemed so cliched, but here radiates energy like fissionable material), we see Maria and her aide going to get her passengers. Her fierce caring is evident in every gesture and word as she straps each child into his/her seat, and then sits beside the newest addition, playfully chatting with both the child and parent. While, of course, in reality such attention to each child would result in a bus trip of several hours duration, we are caught up in the aura of warmth and love so carefully established.

While bathing in the glow thus created, the audience is subjected to yet another shock. A madman (who we saw briefly in a short previous scene, where he is conversing with a priest, thus quickly and efficiently establishing his insanity) gets on the bus, and lets Maria know that his bag is full of explosives, which he will set off with a detonator in his breast pocket, unless she does exactly as he tells her. When we find out that Maria's aide has diabetes, after being cruelly accused of drug abuse by the madman, pathos is thrown into the mix, sparking a conflagration on the screen.

To try to synopsize the film would be pointless, and, besides, would destroy the fun of each breathless chase and climax. However, there are other levels worth looking into here.

The film's symbolism was extremely subtle.

One of the children who is especially important in this regard is Benito. Obviously a reference to Mussolini, this child's preoccupation with progress has led him to playfully refer to the school to which he is being driven as "the moon." The film's clear delineation of the dangers posed to a peaceful fascism (Benito) by a dangerous and unregulated imperialist freedom (Michael Paul Chan's madman, complete with Napoleonic hand over left breast) is brilliant. And it is only through the careful ministrations of the patient Maria that a resolution can be reached and total calamity avoided.

In her noble efforts, Maria is aided by the brilliant maneuverings of the Dade County SWAT team, headed by Marcy Walker. Walker's characterization of the hard-bitten commander powered by a woman's heart was breathtaking in its simplicity and elegance. Using a swish of her long, blonde ponytail to punctuate her commands to her troops was a touch so authentic that one felt as though one had suddenly switched to a documentary. The realism just oozed from such riveting scenes as commander Marcy asking Maria's husband for background on Maria. She was speaking on a cellular phone from the back seat of a car packed with fellow SWATers and her negotiator, while speeding along in hot pursuit of the hijacked school bus. We cut to Maria's husband as his eyes unfocus and he looks nobly into the distance, saying, "Let me tell you a story about her..." The story he tells, heart-rending and tender, was sure to leave a tear in every eye, and even the determined SWAT commander Marcy is visibly moved, listening eagerly to what a less trained mind might regard as a rambling and inappropriate anecdote, given the fact that it is told in the midst of a harrowing chase.

But it is exactly this emphasis on the contradictions inherent in the most stressful situations that rings so true. Bruce Weitz's shattering portrayal of the negotiator shows more of this imbalance come to life, with his slow, patient delivery in crisis situations, and his surprise and dismay (and even bruised emotions) at the repeated abrupt terminations of his phone talks with the madman.

I don't have room here to do justice to the profundity of the film, nor to the philosophical paradoxes which are so adroitly weaved in and out of the story, creating a kaleidoscope of ethical warp and moral woof that, in the end, we recognize as being the reality surrounding us all.

Suffice to say, SUDDEN TERROR is a film which goes far beyond the expectations of any committed television viewer, and is a towering example of just exactly what made-for-TV movies are good for.

i watched this movie last night and I love it because it had a good plot,great cast,and great skills.I am a disablitly child and this would be a good flim to teach childern who have specail needs what to do in a dangerous situation like the one in the flim.

Not to put down our many knowledgeable and dedicated overseas viewer/members, but I did notice that almost all of the negative opinions were not from the USA, and the few favorable ones were. Also apparent is that all but one previous review were submitted previous to the infamous 9/11 terrorist attack.

We all now live with some concern that such an event could possibly affect us personally. However remote the chance, the fact that it happened once in the 90's suggests an increase in the likelihood of a similar happening today. I would suggest that in this film a message exists that there is hope even in the most extreme circumstances, and that our law enforcement stands ready to help.

Given the above statements, is it possible that this movie would have received more charitable reviews if commented upon today? I found this movie entertaining, inspiring, and thoughtful. I also feel that it was technically better than most of the current "action/suspense" genre. It was totally devoid of numerous exploding vehicles, hundreds of rounds of gunfire, gratuitous sex, and excessive testosterone. The continuing chase sequence, although sometimes quite spectacular, was believable and well filmed. It is not unusual for many true stories that are well presented to seem somewhat bland, or even a bit corny, but the real message often resides in truth and accuracy.

Overall, I thought the movie was well done. Give 'em a break, it was a fine effort.

I was sitting there thinking this was a really bad movie. And, then, I see Welton Barker's comments. Out of the blue, it hits me. Well, actually that was the remote being hurled at me by my wife as she yelled for me to change the channel. I would have done just that had I not been mesmerized by Barker's stunningly in-depth critique. With tears in my eyes, I watched the rest of the movie. Every time I thought I was getting bored, I reread Barker's comments. I can tell you that it changed my life in such a profound way, that I am now able to use the word "profundity" with pride. Thank you Welton Barker, and, of course, thank you IMDb for making this whole thing possible.