Maximum Overdrive

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2012)

We are dependent everyday on motorized transportation whether it's by car, plane, motorcycle, anything else to get us from point A to B in the least amount of time. However despite these things in working order like with all machines there is that looming possibility that something can go wrong and usually does.
This is one of my favorite action films of all time, it's just so thrilling and so much fun.
This film has a lot to offer at the quickest amount of time it runs on. The cinematography and effects are great because it's all practical and real. You really do feeling like you moving at high speed. The music score is exciting the theme song is one of my favorite themes of all time, and this score may have been a partial inspiration for the score in the video game franchise "Metal Gear Solid".
The characters are really good: Howard Payne by the late great Dennis Hopper is a good opponent, he's a villain you love to hate. His character is a smart greedy psychopath who is menacing, a short fuse when things don't go his way, and he's got some charisma so he's got some really good lines.
Protagonists are also good from the main one Jack Traven played well by Keanu Reeves, he's tough, knows how to keep his cool and be in control of an out of control situation, smart, and also has charisma he has some good lines as well as humorous moments like unintentionally giving a guy I call the Tuneman some grief.
Annie Porter played by one of my favorite actresses Sandra Bullock whom I think is hot and has the persona to boot. She feisty, funny, witty, has some fire in her, she can also handle herself under pressure, has driving skills which are obviously useful, she should of been a race car driver.
Even a few of the passengers and two people that help them Harry Temple (Jeff Danniels) and Capt. McMahon (Joe Morton from the TV show "Eureka") are also really good, contribute and have their moments and good lines. This is part of what makes the suspense of the film work is actually caring about the protagonists and hoping they'll get out alive.
The plot I really like it's simple but feels plausible, whose to say no bomber had this in the back of their minds. And the best thing about the film is in it's suspense and pacing. I love the way it's structured it's sort of like a video game you just can't afford to take a breath, where in this film you have three different situations which are the Elevator, Bus, and Train, much like how each level of a game is always a different challenge; and all require for everyone to constantly move if they stay still for even a mere moment then it's game over forever.
Also as the action is going along there are constant obstacles whether it's something in the way or even time itself, I like how the protagonists have to think throughly fast on how to get though this or survive that. It's true certain solutions are implausible like the one for the infamous 50 foot gap but it's a movie like with the TV show "Macgyver" it's fun to think some of those things could work. All this just kept me on the edge of my seat, just constantly worrying what else will happen, how worse can things get, and how are they going to survive this or that. Those are questions like the bus just constantly race though you mind the whole time which is another reason why the suspense works.
Well thats as far as I go, Speed has enough millage for action.
Rating: 4 stars