Sometimes at work my colleague Ted Peppsi and I tend to get locked in serious debates. Well, the other day Ted told me that Speed was the greatest action movie of all time. He was especially impressed with the scene where Walter Matthau drove the bus. Needless to say I knew Ted was wrong but I didn't have a DVD to prove it. This sale solved both of my problems. After one fast purchase (and watching the movie five times with Ted for emphasis) I can safely inform you that Walter Matthau does not appear anywhere in the movie Speed...he's not on the bus, not in the SWAT room, and "No Ted, he's not in any crowd long shots either! Drop it already!"

This is a virtually perfect movie which, true to its name, features a plot that ramps up to highway speeds and never decelerates. And every time you suspect the film has crescendoed and the plot may have resolved, it ascends to yet another height of tension. Reaves is convincingly heroic and resourceful, and Bullock is not merely (likewise) phenomenally capable and resourceful, but also incredibly appealing in her determined, spunky -- and often snarky -- persona. One can see Speed for the adrenaline rush, the adorable romance, or both -- and still be satisfied on all counts. I rather regret that I rented and did not buy it, but... you know, it's a bit pricey, and inconveniences like the need to eat sometimes have to be factored in. ☺

Totally bereft of story and character development, _Speed_ is a cinematic roller coaster ride, nothing more.
If you like that kind of thing, _Speed does it very well_.

The premise involves an L.A. city bus that can't go under 50 mph or it will explode, thanks to a bomb planted by a maniac (Dennis Hopper, of course). It crashes through barriers, knocks trucks and cars off the road, and at one point, it makes a 50-foot leap over a gap in an under-construction highway. Fun to watch.

The computerized graphic imagery we've all come to despise in today's films was in its infancy in 1994, so most of the "special effects" are real, and they're pretty spectacular.

Very little is expected from the actors in these kinds of movies, other than reacting hysterically to the terrifying circumstances. We have Hollywood hunk Keanu Reeves as the good cop. Sandra Bullock is the passenger who has to take over at the wheel when the driver is shot by a crazy passenger. We know little or nothing about any of these people. The Hopper character is especially shallow, like a villain out of a Batman movie. These are actors who, I assume, could actually act if they were called upon to do so. Not here. Collect your huge paycheck and laugh all the way to the bank.

In its 25 year anniversary, _Speed_ is being written about in retrospect as one of the top action films of all time. I can't argue. It's not profound or thought-provoking, but neither is a roller coaster ride.

Los Angeles is facing the threat of a bomber played by Dennis Hopper who demands ransoms or he’ll blow people up. Facing him down is Keanu Reeves as a LAPD bomb specialist. Obviously the movie is all about the situations Hopper puts the police in.

What the movie is known for is Hopper putting a bomb on a bus that has to keep driving at 50 mph or more or it will blow up. The writers went all out on this throwing in all kinds of unbelievable and over the top situations. The biggest is the idea that in the middle of the day they could find a stretch of freeway in Los Angeles without traffic. Despite that the movie was still fun and a thrill ride, you just had to go with the flow.
C

Our three main characters are Dennis Hopper (the “wronged“ villain) with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock as our heroes. Jeff Daniels play a supporting role and does a great job throughout the movie until the end.

⚫️SPOILER: Basically, the villain is a former cop who was injured on the job and feels he was treated poorly when he was retired. He wants compensation so he has decided to blackmail the city for money. He makes an attempt with elevators which is foiled by Kiana Reaves and Jeff Daniels as special detail police officers. Since our Villain is foiled so he decides to wire a public bus with a bomb to initialize a detonator to explode if the bus travels below 50 mph.

The villain and our heroes provide us with excellent fast-paced drama until the very end. Excellent story and premium acting by all! 😉👍 A very good buy.

I thought keanu Reeves was so good looking in this! And even as I'm watching this going "come on, that would never do that! " I still really enjoy this movie. Sure some of keanu reeves' delivery of his lines were exactly as Mad TV comedians made fun of, but I didn't care! Sandra Bullock was good as Annie & Jeff Daniels did a great job playing the serious role-I saw him in dumb & dumber first.
The only small complaint I had was since this Blu-ray was the 20 yr anniversary, I wish there were more special features like a gag reel, stunts & background on how they did some of the scenes.
Also bought this through a third-party seller and everything was as advertised

Umpteenth viewing held up just fine. Last seen years ago, so a lot of the details had faded a bit, but I knew every scene and a lot of the dialogue. But it was instructive to see it again while also enjoying a goodly amount of it. The film's hardly dated except for the ten pound mobile phones they used, but the biggest gripe that I had -- even in the first viewing -- is still there: no way was the bus going over 50 for most of the b-roll shots. A big bother. Also was surprised to see Sandy's role being secondary. I forgot that. She wasn't even in the first half. Hard to say why the film still worked. The memes are still used today, so that was core, but I think the pacing was crucial, and the acting was fine but the script was comic-bookish. Future me: don't watch again. It'd take ten years to forget enough, and by then, a ten pound phone is just going to make you throw up.

pop quiz hotshot: you are in the mood for a popcorn action flick starring keanu reeves but dont know what to pick. now what do you do.

purchase Speed and call it a day.

this is on of sandra bullock's best performances and one of my first crushes. keanu is his usual awesome self. reaves is easily one of the best action hero actors of all time.

if you are expecting a compelling plot, realistic scenarios, and oscar winning performances.. you are doing it wrong. that's not what this movie is.. its just pure adrenaline fun.

i love me some comic book movies, but the world needs more of these kinds of flicks. and no remakes.. make some new content already.