Blazing Fast Entertainment

Rating: 9/10 (1 June 2006)

When it hit theatres in 1994, Speed was a rocket powered entertainment vehicle that was guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats the whole time, barely letting up the entire way as Keanu and/or the bus performed one death-defying stunt after another. 12 years later, Speed has lost none of its quality, and still succeeds in giving solid chills and thrills for a good hour and fifty minutes.
The film opens with Keanu Reeves and Jeff Daniels attempting to rescue a group of hostages who are trapped in an elevator that could go off at any second, due to a crazed man who is holding them in the elevator for ransom (Dennis Hopper in a brilliant turn as Howard Payne). Needless to say, Reeves (Jack) and Daniels (Harry) succeed and (apparently) dispatch the bad guy to oblivion. Months later, though, Jack must combat his old nemesis when a bus is wired to explode if it goes below 50 miles per hour.
Forget logic. Forget reason. Speed is that rare, liberating experience that actually succeeds in making you not care whether something makes sense. Reeves can ram a subway into a wall and not die, go climbing around in the undercarriage of a bus, and come out virtually completely unscathed. Speed succeeds in virtually everything in sets out to do, which, thankfully, is not much.
The filmmakers never have any illusions that they are making this a character driven drama that will have you weeping if one of the characters dies. Thought some characterization is added, it is definitely secondary to the action. All its purpose is to do is to that you care at least a little bit for the main character and what happens to him and his romantic opposite: Annie, played by Sandra Bullock. Though normally, lack of characterization might be classified as bad, Speed is the rare exception to the rule: the rare movie that comes along at just the right time, and blends just enough action and characterization to make you say, "Forget those people! Let's get to the good stuff!" And believe me, the "stuff" is good. Mind-blowingly so. With movies out now like The Matrix, Equilibrium, the new Star Wars, and other action-packed films, you would think Speed would lose some of its impact. Not true. Years later, it still has that special something that sets it apart from all other action films. The action is creative, never-the same, constant, tense, taut, and thrilling. A good musical score en-chances the action as well. Dennis Hopper's acting is just the tiniest bit cheesy, but that works for the film. Reeves is his usual dumbed-down action hero, and it fits the part of Jack perfectly. Daniels shows a refreshing bit of his dramatic side, and Bullock captures just enough chemistry with Reeves to make it believable.
Speed will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time, with unbelievably tense and amazing action. It never once takes itself too seriously. It is conscious of its own cheese, and fully embraces it, finding the perfect balance of cheese and gravitas. Explosions, a blazing fast bus, and a speeding subway train. What more could one ask for?