“Speed” is an action thriller film about an LAPD officer out for revenge on one of his fellow policeman. He decides to arm a public bus with a bomb if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour, with the nonstop action proceeding from there. In his big screen debut, Jan de Bont created a tightly directed story with very little deviation from the central plot, which holds the audience’s attention for the nearly two hours running time. There is very little excess in the screenplay by Graham Yost.
The star of the show is Keanu Reeves as the policeman trying to get the bus under control. This role solidified Reeves’ position as an action-adventure star. Dennis Hopper plays the heavy of the piece, one of a series of creepy villain roles he was cast in during this period, such as Lyle from Dallas in “Red Rock West” (1993) and the Deacon in “Waterworld” (1995). The third principal star is Sandra Bullock as the spunky gal who takes over as bus driver, an early role for her. This part also put her career into high gear, in the leading lady/big star category. Reeves, Hopper, and Bullock all delivered exceptional performances.
Co-stars include Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton, Alan Ruck, Beth Grant, Carlos Carrasco, Natsuko Ohama, Glenn Plummer, Hawthorne James, David Kriegel, Jordan Lund, Robert Mailhouse, and Richard Schiff as a train driver. This is an early role for Schiff, as he later went on to prominent roles in television shows like “The West Wing” (1999-2006) and “The Good Doctor” (2017-2024).
“Speed” was very popular at the box office for Mark Gordon Company and 20th Century Fox. A sequel called “Speed 2: Cruise Control” came out in 1997, starring Sandra Bullock and Jason Patric. It was panned by critics and avoided by movie going audiences.
Speed (1994)
cinema
My Review
“Speed” is an action thriller film about an LAPD officer out for revenge on one of his fellow policeman. He decides to arm a public bus with a bomb if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour, with the nonstop action proceeding from there. In his big screen debut, Jan de Bont created a tightly directed story with very little deviation from the central plot, which holds the audience’s attention for the nearly two hours running time. There is very little excess in the screenplay by Graham Yost.
The star of the show is Keanu Reeves as the policeman trying to get the bus under control. This role solidified Reeves’ position as an action-adventure star. Dennis Hopper plays the heavy of the piece, one of a series of creepy villain roles he was cast in during this period, such as Lyle from Dallas in “Red Rock West” (1993) and the Deacon in “Waterworld” (1995). The third principal star is Sandra Bullock as the spunky gal who takes over as bus driver, an early role for her. This part also put her career into high gear, in the leading lady/big star category. Reeves, Hopper, and Bullock all delivered exceptional performances.
Co-stars include Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton, Alan Ruck, Beth Grant, Carlos Carrasco, Natsuko Ohama, Glenn Plummer, Hawthorne James, David Kriegel, Jordan Lund, Robert Mailhouse, and Richard Schiff as a train driver. This is an early role for Schiff, as he later went on to prominent roles in television shows like “The West Wing” (1999-2006) and “The Good Doctor” (2017-2024).
“Speed” was very popular at the box office for Mark Gordon Company and 20th Century Fox. A sequel called “Speed 2: Cruise Control” came out in 1997, starring Sandra Bullock and Jason Patric. It was panned by critics and avoided by movie going audiences.