High-paced, highly charged action

Rating: 9/10 (9 May 2005)

For sheer adrenaline, there's not a lot of films out there to top Speed. If released now this film might possibly be considered politically incorrect and sensitive (but then again, what isn't?) but its just a simple terrorism movie (although the 'terrorist' wants money, so probably not technically a terrorist).
The main portion of the plot revolves around a bus which is armed with a bomb that will blow if the bus drops below 50 mph. Keanu Reeves is the cop on the bus, with Sandra Bullock driving the bus through the streets of LA at breakneck speed. Dennis Hopper plays the bad guy with a mix of wise-ass and psycho, to create a very effective villain, and Jeff Daniels is Keanu's partner on the ground (as it were).
It sounds simple enough, but the simple idea is surprisingly effective, making for some genuine breath-holding, edge-of-your-seat moments. As with all Hollywood movies, you just know that a romance plot line is going to creep in somewhere, and Speed is no exception. But even though the romance is telegraphed from the moment Reeves gets on the bus, it doesn't detract too much from the story.
It's not a particularly clever film, but it really doesn't need to be. Just sit back (if you can, if not just sit on the edge of your seat) and enjoy the ride.
The worst thing about this film is, as successful as it was, it was always going to spawn a sequel, and spawn is definitely the right word. Speed 2: Cruise Control is an abomination which sullies this one. So do yourself a favour, watch this, but instead of watching the sequel, just watch this one again.