Speed (1994) Film Review: Spectacular mix of exhilarating action and intense thrills makes for high rewatchability value
- reeltalkin'
- Aug 3
- 4 min read
When a deranged bomb expert's plan is thwarted by a young LAPD officer and his superior, the vengeful Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) rigs a city bus with a bomb that will explode if its speed drops below 50mph.
It is up to Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) and passenger Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) to keep the bus moving and save everyone on board.
Speed (1994) marks the feature directorial debut of Jan de Bont, who previously provided his creative talents as a cinematographer for films such as Die Hard (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), and Lethal Weapon 3 (1992).
Screenwriter Graham Yost was inspired by the 1985 American action/thriller Runaway Train and the Japanese language movie The Bullet Train (1975). He initially imagined the top speed of the bus before detonation to be 20mph, but was soon advised by a friend to increase the speed to 50mph to help raise the film's stakes and maintain audience interest.
Today's feature is commonly discussed amongst the greatest action/thrillers of all time, and, after viewing the picture for the first time, it is easy to see why the film is so highly regarded amongst cinema fans. Speed is the perfect summer blockbuster, which is easily accessible for anyone (although there are a few swear words to bear in mind for young viewers!) and is pure popcorn fun from beginning to end.
The film boasts one of the tightest, most effective screenplays ever put to the big screen, with a distinct three-act structure involving an elevator, the main feature of the bus, and a train, all of which house incredible action set pieces, plenty of quotable one-liners, and genuinely comedic moments, as well as insanely likable characters.
The opening sequence involving the cops rescuing a group of helpless citizens from an elevator does a fantastic job of introducing spectators to well-established leads. This excellent laying of the groundwork perfectly eases audiences into the nail-biting second act, taking place on the city bus, where we have already become emotionally involved with the characters and want to see Keanu Reeves' underdog police officer succeed in his mission to rescue the passengers.
The simplicity in the film's concept becomes one of its greatest strengths, with Yost delivering a clever, inventive screenplay that imagines practically every scenario that could occur if a bus were forced to travel at 50mph without stopping in a busy, urban location.
There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the plot, and great care is taken to ensure a natural cause and effect for situations, which helps ground the film and make it feel more realistic. The first hour quite literally flies by, exhibiting seamless pacing and a well-crafted structure to the narrative, as the exciting, tense action sequences only seem to increase in their loudness and velocity each time.
This movie cemented Keanu Reeves as a firmly established action hero superstar, helping to shake off his more laid-back, teenage roles in films such as the Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures franchise. Similarly, Sandra Bullock's career skyrocketed following the huge commercial and critical success of the film.
Both leads are effortlessly charismatic and charming, with Jack and Annie forming a believable, supportive relationship, which eventually becomes romantic due to their natural chemistry and solid rapport. A sweet behind-the-scenes anecdote reportedly says that both actors did form a crush on each other during filming, and this mutual attraction certainly shows onscreen. Both are very likable and easy to root for.
Dennis Hopper's Howard Payne is given plenty of scene-chewing dialogue and moments to shine, creating an entertaining balance of a maniacal, cackling villain with a dark, dangerous side as he shows cold calculation and a lack of remorse for the people he has killed. He becomes an instantly iconic, memorable villain of the 90s, drawing parallels to Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988) several years earlier.
The film's tone can vary with admirable qualities of realism, as well as a lingering sense of cheesiness that does rear its head with some odd script exchanges, particularly involving Reeves and Hopper. However, this element of the film's mood helps elevate its enjoyment factor and is aided by many wholesome, heartfelt, and triumphant scenes showcasing the passengers' bravery and the couple's quick-thinking intelligence. The film proudly wears its light-hearted one-liners and silly moments of comedy on its sleeve, and it is difficult not to appreciate its charm.
Composer Mark Mancina provides a suitably heart-pounding, dramatic score which also includes great heroic cues for Reeves and a riveting main theme which has become many a film fan's favourite in their collection. Visually, the movie still holds up incredibly well with only a handful of noticeable shaky shots among truly breath-taking practical and special effects, with real buses and explosions used throughout, and intricate miniatures and matte paintings creating a believable illusion of reality.
Overall, Speed fully deserves its place in action movie history. Despite a seemingly too simple premise which could have easily turned audiences away, both Jan de Bont and Graham Yost rose to the challenge and crafted one of the greatest action/thrillers of the 1990s. The film is energetic and gripping from start to finish and features plenty of charm and charisma from its lead performances.
This is a phenomenal directorial debut on almost every front and provides the gold standard of how to successfully execute an amazing action extravaganza for everybody to enjoy.
Check out the trailer for Speed (1994) below, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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