Speed (1994)

A young cop must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

Director:

Jan de Bont

Writer:

Graham Yost

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock

Won 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keanu Reeves	...	Officer Jack Traven
Dennis Hopper	...	Howard Payne
Sandra Bullock	...	Annie Porter
Joe Morton	...	Capt. McMahon
Jeff Daniels	...	Det. Harold 'Harry' Temple
Alan Ruck	...	Stephens
Glenn Plummer	...	Jaguar Owner
Richard Lineback	...	Norwood
Beth Grant	...	Helen
Hawthorne James	...	Sam
Carlos Carrasco	...	Ortiz
David Kriegel	...	Terry
Natsuko Ohama	...	Mrs. Kamino
Daniel Villarreal	...	Ray
Simone Gad	...	Bus Passenger #1

Storyline

Bomber terrorist's elevator plan backfires, so he rigs a bomb to a LA city bus. The stipulation is: once armed, the bus must stay above 50 mph to keep from exploding. Also if LAPD Officer tries to unload any passengers off, Payne will detonate it. Joe Morton co-stars as Jack's superior, and Jeff Daniels supports Jack helping him try to defuse the bomb.

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Plot Keywords:

bus | bomb | explosive | elevator | rescue | 

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Taglines:

Get ready for rush hour.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Máxima velocidad

Filming Locations:

Ballerina Clown - 255 Main Street, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£9,823,233 (UK) (11 November 1994)

Gross:

£10,534,359 (UK) (9 December 1994)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed on location on LA's 105 freeway before it was opened to the public.

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Goofs

In the shot from behind where the police escort joins the bus, the shadow of the camera truck is visible to the left.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Workman: Hey, this area's restricted.
Howard Payne: Oh, hi. Yeah, I know. They called me down here. Some of this wiring got screwed up.
Workman: Nobody called it down to me. I'm going to have to see a work order.
Howard Payne: Yeah, just a second. There you are.
[stabs workman in the ear with a screwdriver]
Howard Payne: Nothing personal.

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Connections

Spoofs The French Connection (1971)

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Soundtracks

"Soul Deep"
Written by Wayne Carson
Produced by The Gin Blossoms (as Gin Blossoms)
Performed by The Gin Blossoms (as Gin Blossoms)
Courtesy of A&M Records

User Reviews

A classic action film.

In what is certainly Jan de bont's best film, and Keanu's best role before Neo, this has earned its place as one of the best action films ever. Good action films have good story lines to justify the explosions and violence. There is no exception here. The story is a simple one, which sets up the scenes for plenty of tension and action. If I was to make one criticism, I think it was in the part played by Dennis Hopper. He didn't come across as entirely convincing, but the rest of the film made up for this and it seems alright. It's a pity that de bont thought he could do it again in speed 2, and another pity that Sandra bullock agreed to be in it. Keanu made the right decision to not appear in this, as this seems a polar opposite to the first film. Ignore the second, the first is, to me, a classic in its genre.