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"Get ready for rush hour."
The basic story involves a cop, Officer Jack Traven
(Keanu Reeves) plucky Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) and a load
of passengers on a bus with a bomb. Once activated, the bomb will
explode if the bus goes UNDER 50 m.p.h. It seems that a madman,
Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) who Reeves thought was dead, not
only is determined to extort money from the city, but has it in
for Traven as well. At the beginning of the movie, Traven and
his partner, Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) in an exciting action
sequence save a lot of frightened, trapped people aboard a bomb-rigged
elevator in a tall office skyscraper.
Payne's plan to extort money from the city
is ruined, as well as nearly killing Payne himself. So when
Payne tries it again, this time using a bomb -rigged bus, he
cleverly lures Traven aboard the doomed bus. He explodes another
bus right in front of Traven on the city street, then calls
him up on a nearby pay phone to taunt him. This starts the heart-pumping
action once again, as Traven chases down the next rigged bus,
trying to catch it before its speed goes above 50 mph, which
activates the bomb. Of course, he doesn't get there in time,
but this manly man manages to get aboard while the bus is moving
above 50mph on the freeway!
When the bus driver is shot by a man who had
committed a crime, because he thought Traven was after him,
Annie Porter takes over as bus driver, even if she has a suspended
license for speeding. No matter what gets in her way, she must
keep the bus rolling around corners, though red lights, etc,
or everyone aboard will be blown up. If anyone tries to get
off the bus, the bomb will be activated.
Not to worry! The clever scriptwriter, Graham
Yost, allows the good guys to solved all their life-threatening
problems, in the most clever and action-packed, heart-pounding
ways, fooling the dasdardly Howard Payne, who gets his just
end when he boldly kidnaps Annie Porter, which starts yet another
action sequence, a sure crowd pleaser.
Keanu Reeves' acting performance, as this SWAT cop, is one of
his best efforts. His new, short haircut and bulging muscles
add to his credibility.
This is the movie that made Sandra Bullock a star. With her
cute good looks, and can-do attitude, it's easy to see why.
We also greatly enjoyed Dennis Hopper as the
bad guy. He did a great job of delivering several memorable
lines as only he can. "Jack, nothing tricky now. You know
I'm on top of you! DO NOT attempt to grow a brain!"
Ever since the hit, "Die Hard," numerous action flicks
have been pitched as "Die Hard" on a ship ("Under
Siege") or "Die Hard" on a mountaintop ("Cliffhanger").
With "Speed," which could be, (and probably was),
described as "Die Hard" on a bus, is one of the best
influx of post "Die Hard" action vehicles.
A favorite scene has the bus rolling down an unfinished freeway.
When they come to the unfunished part, that has a big section
of the road missing, the bus goes top speed, flying over the
big space, landing on the other side!
Another favorite scene involves an amazing stunt.
As the bus speeds along, Reeves is lowered beneath the bus to
try and disarm the bomb. This is definitely edge-of-your-seat
entertainment.
Overall, the great photography, sound, and editing
help make this film a special event, even on the home screen.
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