Will make you feel like you're on Speed, but in a good way....

Rating: 10/10 (15 August 2008)

This movie is a 100% pure rush of adrenalin to the heart, mind and your desire to be entertained. "Speed" has been called "Die Hard on a Bus" since the movie centers on a cop named Jack (Keanu Reeves) who is out to stop an insane bomber (Dennis Hopper) who put one of his little friends on a city bus and when the bus hits 50 MPH it will be activated and if it drops to 50 or below, it'll blow up, while taking all the passengers with it.
And this is why the movie has seemingly never-ending surprises, twists and suspense. It's a great idea that is executed so well. For most of the movie the hot driver Anne (Sandra Bullock) and Jack have to find a way to get around traffic and an incomplete freeway to keep the bus going and another thing, keep in mind that they can't keep going around over 50 MPH forever, because think about the bombers demands getting his money in just 3 hours. And also, if they try to get the passengers off he will set the bomb off and use a little common sense, gas doesn't last forever. So how the hell are they gonna get out of this mess? Watch it and find out.
Is this a Die Hard rip-off? Yes. Is it the best rip-off of Die Hard? Absolutely. "Under Siege" (Die Hard on a ship) was a bit dull and since it was Steven Seagal, I don't think I need to say more. "Passenger 57" (Die Hard on a plane) was poorly executed and didn't have a shred of intelligence; in other words; it was dumb.
This one "Die Hard on a Bus" is freakishly awesome, Reeves is at his best without being so wooden as usual ("There's enough C-4 on this thing to put a hole in the world"). Dennis Hopper makes a classic, creepy bad guy named Howard Payne who blows Hans Gruber out of the park ("Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric"). And Sandra Bullock creates some really good chemistry with Keanu in this, and her acting is flawless because she gets into a very humane character than can be seen by her reaction when she accidentally hits a baby carriage. And she's also clearly vulnerable since she occasionally breaks down when something bad happens. And I say Sandra Bullock's acting is the one of the best parts of the movie and her magnus opus of her whole career. Also Jeff Daniels wasn't too shabby as Harry since, like Bullock, provides some human sense into this movie ("That's our scumbaaaaag!")
The supporting cast on the bus has a few people who are worth pointing out such as the cussing Ortiz ("Man sure has a hard-on for this bus") and Stephens, the annoying tourist who tries to act cool to impress people but he's really timid and totally loses it when he realizes the situation on the bus.
The stunts are also really cool, you get to see Jack go under the bus to try to disarm the bomb at high speed and when he uses the crane to hold the elevator in the beginning. And the film won a couple Oscars for Sound and special effects, I think. And it deserved them, 'cause the movie looks AND sounds like if a real life bomb threat happened. SPOILERS!: And the part when the bus collided with the plane at the end was perfectly done with the bad@$$ explosion.
This is over 2 hours long, (thank god!) unlike most action films that are about 90 minutes or less and don't have a a lot of suspense or development because of it. And the suspense in "Speed" will NEVER stop until you see the credits roll. This is well worth your money and your time, make sure you watch this before you die, because I'm glad I did.