Speed is a fast paced, action packed movie that focuses all its attention on action and little to a logical story and dialogue sequence. There was little time for me to take a break from the high-tension action scenes because there could be (and was) another explosion or crash around every corner. Jack even made driving interesting as he launched his Crown Victoria into the air right at the beginning of the movie. Even though this was an original twist on an action film, the next scene was always predictable. Will the passengers survive? Will they make the jump? Will they blow up? These were easy questions to answer. The only unanswered questions I had were "Why don't they just..." questions such as "Why don't they just give him the damn money?" The dialogue was also a major downside to this film. From the first time every character talked, you could tell how they were going to act for the rest of the movie. Jack was going to be the heroic and smart lead, the bus driver was going to be too kind for his own good, Howard was going to be the evil psychopath, Annie was going to be the strong and assertive woman, and so on. Speed was also full of cheesy one-liners and flirting between the two main protagonists and didn't require much thought. However, that could be why this movie was so successful and can always be found while scrolling through channels. If you are coming home from a hard day's work and want to unwind, this may be the movie for you. Despite all the criticism, the high budget lead to some very realistic and believable special effects, good sets, and good camera work, even for today's standards. And it didn't have much of the textbook corny acting as seen in other action films around that time. Overall, if you haven't seen this it can be an interesting watch, but don't expect much from this 90's action film.

​'SPEED' 1994Directed by Jan De Bont{Directorial Debut}Starring Keanu Reeves{Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure; Point Break}, Sandra Bullock{Demolition Man; Love Potion No 9} and Dennis Hopper{Apocalypse Now; Rebel Without a Cause}Plot Overview: As revenge for foiling his master plan scheme, a demolitions expert/terrorist plants a bomb on a commercial bus which will detonate, if the bus goes below 50 miles per hour! 'Speed' is a movie that is held very dear to many action fan's hearts for many years. I've been dodging watching it for a while but I've finally cracked and gave into my curiosity. And my opinion of the movie? I liked it. It was a fun action movie with an EXCELLENT premise and cool ideas. As a full package, I can definitely recommend it. So what can I say are the film's main strengths? The overall tone and atmosphere is probably its' greatest strength. Considering the situation, the tone is pretty light-hearted but all the characters take it seriously. I guess that's what I loved about it. The juxtaposition of the tone of dialogue compared to the tone of the characters. It makes the movie undeniably fun to see Keanu Reeves perform with such sincerity and seriousness when in reality, it's just a dumb action flick. That leads onto another praise I can give: the passengers aboard the bus. I loved pretty much every main side character who was on this bus, with the exception of our two leads.Another major praise I can give the movie Dennis Hopper's villain. Howard Payne is a good movie villain. He's smart, he's pretty funny, he's conniving and he is remorseless. Alone these qualities may seem random, but when combined they make a truly interesting villain. Top that with Dennis Hopper's excellent performance and you have a pretty darn good antagonist.I also absolutely love the score for this movie. This falls into the category of minor praise but it really deserves to get a full paragraph for it. Mark Mancina's EXCELLENT score for this movie is ridiculously fun and inventive and entertaining. It is arguably one of the better action movie themes of the 90s. It's just such an adernaline fuelled score that fits perfectly with the overall tone of the movie.But what issues do I have? Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock are two on the most dull actors on this planet. Don't get me wrong: Reeves is an EXCELLENT action star and I truly admire his commitment to the role. But I've seen school plays with more realistic and emotional performances. He's awful in pretty much every movie he is in. And then there is Sandra Bullock. To be fair, Bullock isn't an awful actress. But her performance in this movie is so unconvincing and so dry that I thought that Reeves had infected her with his disease. Combine the mediocre acting with a forced and botched love story and very underdeveloped characters, and you have a pair of leads that are an actual chore to sit through.My other main issue is the final act. It's just so over the top. And I usually wouldn't mind that but I don't think this drastic change in pace suited the overall movie. It was an action movie but it was a more of a slow burn action movie. This final act was just really dumb and didn't fit in tone with the movie. I was thoroughly disappointed with this movie's conclusion; it was such a mess.Overall, I did like 'Speed' though. It's certainly a fun and entertaining action movie, but the last act and two lead characters make it a chore to sit through, towards the end. Despite this grievances, I do recommend you watch 'Speed'. The action is mostly alright and the tone is pretty much perfect; it's a very enjoyable movie. I'll rate 'Speed' 7 'CANS' out of 10!

Speed is the definition of a film that knows what it is. It finds its tone and it excels.The film tells the story of Jack Traven, an LA SWAT officer. After the film immediately catches the audience's attention with a high-pressure hostage situation in a downtown LA elevator (an exploit that provides smart indirect characterization of our leads), the film deals mostly with a city bus on the highway. A bomb expert has rigged the bus, and if its speed drops below 50 MPH, the explosive will detonate, The narrative takes twists and turns, and as our protagonists decipher clues left behind by the villain, the viewer is always highly engaged. The always-evolving plot is very smartly designed. While the series of difficulties our characters face is numerous, it is never confusing. Plot arcs appear and resolve themselves in such a way that the audience is never lost, in fact the clues are simple enough for the audience to play detective along with the characters.The characters in Speed are all very simple but very strong. We learn about who the characters are by seeing them react in high-pressure situations. This is ideal in making people who seem real and it is executed effectively. By the time the movie ends, it's hard not to feel pride and relief for the characters after seeing the hell that they go through and their courage. This is an action movie, but it constructs its characters with more nuance than most acclaimed dramas.Speed isn't afraid to be what it is, and that is perhaps its biggest triumph. All of the film's action is totally over-the-top. The bus infamously makes a totally unrealistic jump across a giant stretch of uncompleted highway, and the viewer is left laughing at its sheer stupidity. But, the film wears the insanity on its sleeve and isn't embarrassed by the craziness. If you wanted a serious police drama, Speed wasn't the right choice.If you want to crack open a beer and just enjoy a smart, funny, and just plain fun action movie, Speed is the right choice.

If I had written a review of "Speed" in 1994, it would have praised the special effects, the thrills, the tension, the uber-villainy, the charming comic relationship between Keanu and Sandy ...BUT: I watched "Speed" this week for the first time since 1994. The world has changed. Totally and irreversibly changed. Villainy is real and in our face. Explosions occur on a daily basis. It's just not fun to watch any more.It was a good movie. I supposed that it still is. It's just that I could not enjoy it the way that I did back then.