Not as smart as you'd think...

Rating: Null/10 (18 August 2003)

While Speed could have been a great thriller (it certainly is better than James Cameron's overdose of budget with True Lies), but it falls into the category where entertaining the audience supersedes credibility. It's worth seeing once though I can't bring myself to recommend movies with Keanu Reeves in them.
Dennis Hopper is his usual mad self, it would be interesting to see him as a second-grade teacher in a movie. I can say that the passengers on the bus are not smart on the writer's part. Given that this is by Graham Yost, the same guy who wrote Broken Arrow, I'm not surprised. I was happy with Alan Ruck's performance. He has changed a lot since being Cameron Frye.

Jan de Bont isn't a strong director. What works for him is the usual facade of MTV-style images. I will admit he is a little beyond that level, but not by much. Considering he worked with such directors as Paul Verhoeven, Richard Donner, John McTiernan, and Ridley Scott, this is a disappointment. Speed 2 and Lara Croft 2 have reinforced my view of him.
Overall, there are better action movies out there, but there are a lot worse ones too. 2 out of 5 stars.