Speed (1994) - User Reviews

Speed is a film that will literally have you on the edge of your seat, as improbable that it might be that a bus could stay above 50 miles an hour (80 km/h) in down-town Los Angeles. From the moment hero Keanu Reeves boards the unfortunate bus no 2525, the action explodes and doesn't let up until the end of the film. The entire film isn't on the bus either, and after an initial lull, the street chase is a good ending, although not as exciting as the bus smashing into cars and prams, and jumping 50 (there's that number again) foot gaps in the road.
Reeves plays an LA cop who is embroiled in a battle with a mystery bomber, intent on wrecking havoc on the city in the attempt to extort a randsom. He plants a bomb on an ordinary commuter bus which arms once the bus goes over fifty miles per hour, and will detonate if it then falls below that speed. The bomber will not allow anyone off the bus, and follows the action on TV to make sure. Reeves is forced to find a way to keep the bus above 50 in downtown LA. Matters are complicated further when the driver is injured forcing the beautiful and sassy Sandra Bullock behind the wheel, a wildcat who has just had her license revoked for speeding. The sparks then fly between the bus and the cars it hits, and between Bullock and Reeves.
The action sequences shot for this film are fantastic, great angles, and lots of great destruction. The implausibility of the plot disappears in the fantastic work done by the director and visual crew. In the days before CGI, they had to do all the stunts manually with clever camera angles, and the result looks fantastic. You really do get the ride of your life.
The only downside to this film is some of the acting by the minor characters. The three stars, Bullock, Reeves and Jeff Daniels are great, but there is a large number of support cast who are just plain awful, particularly on the bus. They just don't sound scared or convincing. Reeves occassionally sounds a bit to Bill and Ted, but he's pretty good with Bullock.
This film will grab you and suck you into its action even if you have seen it many times before. It is still a great classic.

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