When a mad man is holding many people hostage in an office building, Police Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) and his partner Harry Temple are the first on the scene, the bomber played by Dennis Hopper is supposedly killed in an explosion. Jack and Harry are later commended for their bravery in putting their lives at risk and saving all the hostages.
One morning not so long after the bomb incident, Jack is on his way to work when a city bus explodes on the street, the pay phone rings and Jack answers, he is gob smacked to discover that it’s the mad bomb expert who was thought to be dead. He tells Jack that he’s placed a bomb on a city bus, when that bus goes over 50mph it must keep above 50mph otherwise it will instantly explode. He also informs Jack that he will manually explode the bus is anyone tries to get off or his ransom is not paid on time. Jack must first find out what bus the bomb is on then once again risk his life to save numerous people including quick witted Annie (Sandra Bullock) who coincidentally on the bus after losing her licence for speeding!
Speed is without doubt one of my favourite action movies
of the 90’s much like Die Hard is my favourite action movie from the 80’s. Although Die Hard is far superior to Speed, Speed is still a fantastic film that still manages to glue you to the edge of your seat from start to finish.
The opening sequence is great, it really manages to set the pace for the film and get you gripped right from the beginning. It doesn’t go on for too long which is what kills a lot of action movies, some of them can get too caught up in the action and all the special effects that it becomes overkill and they focus less on the plot. Speed has just the right amount of both, it has the non-stop action which goes on all the way through the film but it also has a strong storyline which even if you’re not a fan of action films there’s still something for you to enjoy.
The acting is superb and second to none, usually in action films the acting itself is overlooked in favour of special effects and the action itself however in Speed you get the best of both worlds. Everybody knows that Keanu Reeves is a superb actor which is has shown in many a film, Speed being one of them. After seeing him in the role of Jack I can’t imagine anyone else playing the part half as well as he did. He manages to strike a cord with both men and women which is a rare accolade for an actor to has. Women everywhere will be swooning over him whereas he also comes across as an all American action hero that men all over the world will aspire to be like.
This became Sandra Bullock’s break out role and still one of the films in which she is best known for today, she plays the sharp witted Annie who comes out with several funny one-liners throughout the film. For me, she was definitely one of the highlights in the film and it was great to see her relationship with Jack progress as the film went on. Dennis Hopper plays a really great villain in this and really comes across as a menacing character.
I like how this film wasn’t just action, of course the majority of it was filled with the action on the bus but the film also became an investigation into who the bomber is. They already know what he looks and sounds like now they just need a name, motive, and an address. This becomes genuinely interesting to watch because you want Jack and Annie to come through in the end.
I like how the film never slows down, from start to finish it’s non-stop heart pounding action which will keep you enthralled all the way through. The running time is around 116 minutes which isn’t too long and it’s not too short either, just one more aspect which enables the film to keep your attention the entire way through.
The scenes in which the bus is travelling through the city are absolutely breathtaking, one which sticks in my head is the scene in which the bus has to jump a 50ft gap, it’s exhilarating all the way through as is all the action. There are plenty of twists included which just add the tension and the suspenseful feel of the film on a whole. All the supporting roles are brilliant, they really paint a realistic picture of what it would actually be like if you are unfortunate enough to be caught up in a terrorist situation.
I love how it’s not obvious what’s going to happen, in most brainless action movies you know exactly what’s going to happen without even watching the film, Speed manages to break away from that negative stereotype and comes out shining brightly as an excellent, genre defining action movie that will remain a classic for years to come. If you haven’t already seen this film you simply must, you wont regret it.
The DVD is available from play.com for £4.99 which is a real bargain.
Given that this is quite an old film there aren’t any special features on the DVD however the sheer brilliance of the movie speaks for itself so the special features can without doubt be overlooked.
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Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Everything clicked in this 1994 action hit, from the premise (a city bus has to keep ... more
moving at 50 mph or blow up) to the two leads (the usually inscrutable Keanu Reeves and the cute-as-a-button Sandra Bullock) to the villain (Dennis Hopper in psycho mo...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Hold on tight for a rush of pulse pounding thrills, breathtaking stunts and unexpected ... more
romance in a film you'll want to see again and again. KEANU REAVES stars as Jack Traven, an L.A.P.D. SWAT team specialist who is sent to defuse a bomb that a revenge...
Everything clicked in this 1994 action hit, from the premise (a city bus has to keep ... more
moving at 50 mph or blow up) to the two leads (the usually inscrutable Keanu Reeves and the cute-as-a-button Sandra Bullock) to the villain (Dennis Hopper in psycho mo...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Hold on tight for a rush of pulse-pounding thrills breathtaking stunts and unexpected ... more
romance in a film you'll want to see again and again. Keanu Reeves stars as Jack Traven an LAPD Swat team specialist who is sent to defuse a bomb that a revenge-dri...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Speed [DVD] [1994]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78545125.jpg "Speed [DVD] [1994]")
Jul 4th, 2009
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