Speed

"Speed" was a runaway success in 1994. It was a block-buster in every sense of the word and critically speaking, it is an excellent motion picture. The film deals with an LAPD swat officer (Keanu Reeves) who is playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with crazed ex-cop Dennis Hopper. After Reeves stops Hopper from blowing up a high-rise building, the next obstacle is a city bus. Hopper has rigged the bus to explode if the "speed" ever drops below 50 miles per hour. Sandra Bullock, in her star-making role, plays an unlucky passenger who becomes the center of attention when she is forced to be the driver when the original navigator is accidently shot. The great thing about "Speed" is the fact that it never tries to be more than it is. It goes for non-stop action, thrills, chills, and spills. However, Dennis Hopper's character is somewhat complex and his performance probably should have garnered him an Oscar nomination. A great film in spite of the fact it is from the action genre. 5 stars out of 5.

If ever there was a film I wished I had seen at the theater,this would be the one.It's a great combination of a well written story, great direction,and a great cast.It's one of those films that you want to like so much,and it does not disappoint.The only thing that bothered me about the film is perhaps is the insertion of ill timed corny remarks ("He lost his head"),and the ending could have been done better,but overall a great action film worth owning.

Speed is one of my favorite action movies of all time, just a notch below contemporaries like Terminator 2 and Die Hard. The premise is so simple that it's almost a parody of movie pitches (Homer Simpson's line was "I saw this movie about a bus that had to SPEED around a city, keeping its SPEED over fifty, and if its SPEED dropped, it would explode! I think it was called 'The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down'."). Fortunately this film came to be much better than the sum of its parts, and it's deservedly remembered as one of the most entertaining films of the 90s.

What distinguishes Speed is its humanity, due in no small part to the character of Annie (Sandra Bullock). The best example of this is the moment when Annie, while driving the bus, thinks she has struck a baby stroller. She becomes so distraught that she lets go of the steering wheel, never mind the fact that she is in charge of driving a bomb-laden bus through the L.A. suburbs. It's one of several moments that draw us into the film by helping us identify with the characters, and it's all the more elegant for its simplicity. This movie isn't complex, but it doesn't claim to be.

There is a certain irony that Speed succeeds so well on a human level, since Jan de Bont is not generally considered an "actor's director". He started as a cinematographer, and even when he talks about directing he discusses technical aspects and seldom mentions working with actors. Nowhere was this more evident than Speed 2, which pretty much killed his directorial career. Given that, it's all the more remarkable what he pulled off in the original Speed, as everything seemed to come together for him.

The overall performances really serve this picture well. Keanu is at his best (which is to say, mediocre), Sandra launched a career based on this movie, and Dennis Hopper did a wonderful job as the sardonic villain. Plus he has one of my favorite bad-guy lines of all time (Traven: "You're crazy." Payne: "Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric.").

8/10

I rewatched Speed yesterday and still really enjoyed it even though quite a few things sounded dated or cheesy. At the time it came out it was a huge hit because the main leads had really good chemistry, so it didn't matter if the acting or dialogue was cheesy. Adding the civilians to it and getting them involved in the drama made it feel more suspenseful and the tension never wavers in this film, so it goes by surprisingly quick. Don't watch it if you're expecting Oscar worthy performances, just a good action flick to keep you entertained for rainy Sat.

Los Angeles SWAT daredevil cops( Keaunu Reeves, Jeff Daniels ) commanded by their chief (Joe Morton ) taking on extreme terrorist ( a bomber well performed by Dennis Hooper)who wires first an elevator and after that a public bus where a handful of characters (Alan Ruck, Carlos Carrasco, among others) face certain death . If the bus's speed down 50, it explodes. The starring hops on board but the driver is wounded and a valiant passenger (Sandra Bullock) takes the wheel. Then the bus runs , bounds and flies.

This mindless, interesting and ingenious film is packed with thrills, suspense, tension and lots of interminable action. Enjoyable relationship between two main characters, Reeves and Bullock, based on risked circumstances work out pretty well. Sandra Bullock steals the show as feisty passenger and Keanu Reeves is fine as brave, intrepid police. Witty argument that dispenses excitement as well as entertainment. Packs atmospheric cinematography using Steadicam or hand-held camera by Andrej Bartkowick. And stirring musical score fitting to action by Mark Mancina . The picture is stunningly and effectively realized in his firs-time as director by Jan De Bont, a successful cameraman (Basic Instict, Die Hard) and Paul Verhoveen's usual and occasionally director (Speed 2, Twister). It's followed by inferior sequel ¨Speed II¨ with similar technician and artistic crew , starred by Sandra Bullock, Jason Patrick, Temuera Morrison and Willem Dafoe. The film will appeal to Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock fans. Rating : Better than average, well worth seeing.