A Decent Action Movie

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2014)

Forget the fact that 111 drivers and passengers were killed by the bus on the streets and highways of Los Angeles: They did manage to save 16 of the 17 passengers. Forget the fact that most of the time, they are obviously not driving 50 or above. Forget about the fact that the bus would not have made the jump. Forget the fact that we do not know if any people were on board the aircraft that the bus hit at the end. Maybe there were 200: I don't know, because the great kiss scene at the end admittedly grabbed my attention.
Forget about the fact that Dennis Hopper (as Howard Payne) would have checked the bag of money as soon as he had collected it from the trash barrel, and that the marking dye would have exploded there.., not later, on the subway. forget about the fact that no marking dye would have been put in the bag, because the police would have realized that it would have triggered Payne to destroy the bus.
Despite these maybe-forgivable unlikelihoods, this is a good action movie that kept my interest for the entire time, by use of various twists and turns in the plot, and by engendering concern and empathy for the characters. We honestly like the people on the bus, including Sandra Bullock (Annie), Keaneau Reeves (Jack) and Alan Ruck (Stephens). Jeff Daniels plays a very likable SWAT member, and Dennis Hopper plays the fully-functional madman so well, that alone is scary.
The difficulty of the direction, stunts, and production of this movie must have been one incredible challenge after another. The elevator scene at the beginning of the movie is very exciting and well-done, and sets the tone for the movie.
Inherent in Speed is the metaphor that society is "running on the red line" at all times, with an inability to slow itself down, and a fear that if it does, it will self-destruct. It will take a combination of us all pulling together at maximum effort, and a miracle, for us to finally get off the "hamster wheel" before the overlords realize what has happened.
In kind of a cheesy way, this movie is a testament to how much good, or bad, one person can do.
I hope the City of Los Angeles promptly compensated everyone for their damage and losses.