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Speed (1994)

thereviewers
Sep 19, 2015
3 min read

Speed is a cat and mouse game between Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves), an LAPD SWAT team specialist who has a fearless nature and a keen understanding of the criminal mind, and an psychotic ex cop. Jack must try to outsmart his nemesis by first saving thirteen hostages from a booby-trapped elevator before trying to rescue passengers on a city bus that has been rigged to explode if the speedometer drops below 50 miles per hour.

Overall Review Score

8 out of 10

Review

Speed is a 1994, 111 minute, action thriller that sees Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) of the LAPD and Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock), a civilian questioning her desire to take public transport anymore, having to work together to keep a bus above 50 miles per hour as it careers through Los Angeles. Speed can easily be defined as a action thriller with a ‘thinking element’ as Jack Traven must come up with and use innovative solutions to outmanoeuvre and outsmart Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper), the ex copper determined to blow someone or something up. The film effortlessly takes the audience on a fast paced, highly explosive trip across LA – including notable sites, such as, Interstate 110, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and the LACMTA Metro Red Line. The main cast put on a good performance by dramatising fear, anxiety, and determination in equal measures although Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock stand out as the two most memorable actors from the film. Their on-screen chemistry is raw, sexualised and helps to provide some comedic relief to let the audience relax before hitting them with repeated scenes of the chaos and heart racing action set pieces. While the film is fresh and entertaining its ‘bottled’ fashion, summed up as endless rounds of ‘driving, avoiding disaster, driving’, causes the film to lose its freshness as the 111-minutes tick down. Overall, Speed is a film not for nervous audiences, the film raises heart rates and causes the audience to sit up and pay attention by taking them on a fast paced, gritty and raw story. It is a film worth watching and one that will easily entertain from start to finish.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 8 out of 10

Comments:

Speed contains a very simple story premise, in which a city bus is rigged with explosives and will explode if the speedometer drops below 50 miles per hour unless the criminal behind the plan is paid £3.7 million. What sets the film apart from its early 1990’s counterparts is its attention and depiction of emotional struggles throughout the ordeal. The best example of this is when Annie (Sandra Bullock), is driving the bus and strikes a baby stroller, she becomes so distraught that she lets go off the steering wheel and slows the bus down, never mind the fact that she is driving a bomb-laden bus through the streets of LA. In addition Keanu Reeves plays a truly convincing LAPD officer who takes the idea of ‘to protect and serve’ to a whole new level, and who frequently puts himself in harm's way to protect members of the public. The only downside to Speed is in its widely exaggerated coincidences. For example, the incomplete freeway and railway tracks during the film.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 8 out of 10

Comments:

Speed is an explosive film that starts strong and finishes on a similar note. The film brings a new, fresh element to the typical cops v robbers mantra by combining big action set-pieces with a thrilling cat and mouse undertone. Speed is such a nail bitter the audience with find themselves gripping the end of their seats or sitting up a little straighter as the public bus swerves around corners narrowly avoiding prams, planes and pedestrians. Away from the films action scenes, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock on-screen chemistry is very dynamic and enjoyable to watch – they feed off each other and slowly go from hating each other to madly in love over the films 111 minute run. However, with that said, Speed does suffer from some minor problems. For example, it repeats itself equally does have an antagonist who does not really have a conducive motive, although these are easily overlooked due to the action-packed nature of the film. Overall, Speed is a generally good film that will brazenly entertain the audience without any real issues.