Enjoyable action ride...

Rating: 8/10 (11 July 2007)

'Speed' is a highly entertaining thriller made with loads of energy and style. It has a great cast, taut direction, and enjoyably outrageous stunts.
LA cop Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) is a busy guy. Not long after foiling a hostage situation involving former Atlanta cop Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) and an elevator full of victims, Jack is pulled into Payne's new scheme, the now-famous 'bomb-on-a-bus' situation. After the driver is accidentally shot by one of the passengers, a woman named Annie (Sandra Bullock) takes over and must work with Jack to figure a way out.
I have never thought Keanu Reeves is a bad actor; he's just a limited one. The problem with Reeves is that he is frequently miscast in romances when he's more at home in action flicks like this or 'The Matrix' or comedies like 'Bill and Ted'. Reeves is terrific here, focused and tough, although his delivery does occasionally mangle some good lines. I liked Reeves' and Bullock's chemistry, although the screenplay's attempts to make them fall in love are VERY forced. Hopper plays another one of his patented psychos spectacularly, while Jeff Daniels and Joe Morton play Jack's fellow cops. I also liked Alan Ruck (Cameron from 'Ferris Buller') as a nervous bus passenger who gets a great moment early on.
The direction by Jan de Bont is relentless, only briefly stopping to let the audience catch their breath. The script is good too; as soon as one problem is solved, another surfaces, and you can't help but grin when Jack actually lowers himself under the bus to try and defuse the bomb.
'Speed' may not be a classic, but it's still loads of fun.